Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

A number of questions were not asked. The Minister announced that in response to the Ebola crisis, his Department began to work with the Department of Defence. He spoke about Irish soldiers heading off to support our embassy staff in Freetown, which is a significant step. What new skills does the Minister expect these Defence Forces members to bring? What new initiatives are involved and what will Defence Forces members do that civilians cannot do? It is a significant step to send them over. Perhaps the Minister can expand on his thinking.

At the last two meetings of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Isis was discussed, along with Turkey's position on Isis and the attacks on the city of Kobani. These have shocked people in Ireland and across the EU. We have seen images on our televisions of Turkish soldiers sitting on their tanks while, across the way, Kurdish fighters are trying to defend the city. Turkey has bombed Kurds on the Turkish-Syrian border, killed 21 Kurdish protesters and broken the ceasefire it had with the Kurdistan Workers Party, PKK. Was that area discussed at the Foreign Affairs Committee meetings or at the side meetings? Can the Minister outline his view on this? Kurds have been asking that, if support is being sent to Syria, some of the aid can be sent through Kurdish areas. Does the EU have a view on that? Many people see Turkey as having taken a very partisan view. Since the American forces supplied the Kurds in Kobani, Turkey seems to have adopted a different position. I have concerns about its role in this conflict. Perhaps the Minister can give his view.

The transatlantic trade and investment partnership was mentioned in previous questions.

We have had some civil society groups appear before the committee but many of them, NGOs and political parties have mentioned their concerns about TTIP. For example, there is concern about the inclusion of the investor dispute settlement or IDS mechanism which, in the view of many, facilitates and overrides sovereign governments and local legal systems. Has the matter come up on the Minister's agenda? Has the partnership factored in the talks? I note that no specific talks on TTIP took place at the last two meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council but expect it is on the agenda for the next meeting. Will the Minister raise the concerns about TTIP? In terms of TTIP, there is concern across Europe about the secrecy that surrounds the talks. The US has adopted a different approach and is much more involved in bringing in civil society groups. I ask the Minister to consider such an initiative. It would prove helpful to a lot of people who have huge concerns about the agreement.

Ibrahim Halawa is a constituent of mine. He is a young man and an Irish citizen who has been imprisoned in Egypt. Recently I asked the Minister a question on Mr. Halawa's incarceration. I do not know what influence the Irish Government has with the Egyptian Government or authorities. Is there anything that the Minister can do about his case? Perhaps, at side meetings, he can ask for assistance from countries that have more influence with the Egyptian authorities.

Similarly, Bahrain was not specifically discussed at the press releases following the two meetings of the Foreign Affairs Council. However, we know that human rights have worsened in the region and that the authoritarian regime continues to crack down on democratic opposition. I asked the Minister about a Bahraini human rights activist, Mr. Nabil Rajab, who was jailed for supposedly sending a tweet that criticised the government. I welcome the Minister's concern about the case. Can he use his influence and personally raise his case at the next meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council?

The Minister mentioned the Palestinan-Israeli situation and we have seen the situation deteriorate. I welcome the fact that he said nothing is set in stone. He has also attended the talks in Egypt on Gaza and so on. As has been mentioned, since the ceasefire the siege of Gaza still exists and the checkpoints are at full capacity. We have pumped in millions of euro of European taxpayers' money which includes Irish money but power and clean water are still needed. Part of the discussions were on extending the fishing area and so on. Unfortunately, there has been no movement to resolve the conflict whatsoever. My concern, which I presume is shared by most people, is that the conflict broke out following the siege. Previously another conflict existed that centred around these issues. It would appear to anybody looking in from the outside that there has been no movement to resolve these issues. I welcome the Minister mentioning that the EU may becoming involved in discussions but I urge balance. Clearly, the American Government has not succeeded in moving the Israeli Government.

Ireland stood aside when the UN voted on the recognition of Palestine and Sweden has now upped the ante in terms of recognition. Does the Minister accept that there are huge difficulties within Europe, particularly in European states that have a lot of war guilt and difficult past associations with events in the region? He said it is time Ireland stepped up to the plate. Part of the frustration felt by many people who live in the occupied territories and Gaza has been the lack of movement by the international community. No-one is speaking out. Does the Minister agree that it is time Ireland's stance on what is happening in the region became more forceful?