Dr. Nader Hashemi:

Let me make a distinction between the leadership of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria as embodied in the self-professed caliph by the name of Abu Bakr al Baghdadi. I do not believe one can negotiate or engage in dialogue with him and his group. However, it is possible to reach out to those members of the Sunni population in Iraq and Syria who form the bulk of the supporters of his movement and woo them away from this radical movement known as Islamic State. It is possible to offer them alternative options by letting them know that there is a future for them in their countries. There is a new Iraqi Government that is reaching out to them, letting them know that their future lies in Iraq, not with Islamic State. The same general principle also applies in the case of Syria. If people are given options that are more inclusive and tolerant, they will choose the more tolerant and inclusive ones than the more radical ones. That is a broad principle that applies in all societies across different moments in time.

In response to Senator Michael Mullins's questions, I have not been invited by the parliaments of other European Union countries to talk to them about this issue, but if he could set up these meetings, I would be happy to go, especially if he could pay my travel expenses.

I believe the vast majority of the Syrian people support the moderates. We do not know fundamentally what the people of Syria actually want and support because they have never been given the opportunity to express a point of view. That is precisely where the story begins. When one family has been in power for 44 years, with no free elections and no free press, we do not know what the people in that country support. I encourage members to visit the Syrian Freedom Charter website and find out more about it. It is the most detailed survey of Syrian public opinion - inside Syria and outside Syria - which I believe represents the voice of the moderates.

The Senator asked if I was optimistic about the Carter peace plan. Unfortunately, I am very pessimistic. Until major countries - the major powers in the world - come to prioritise the question of Syria, it will not be put on the track to find a solution. Up until now the view has been that Syria is a tragedy, that we cannot do much about it and that the situation can be contained. I may be a little more optimistic today than I was a few months ago because ironically as a result of the ISIS crisis, Syria is now back on the global agenda. People now realise we cannot ignore the situation in Syria and pretend that it will go away. Many people were hoping President Assad would just stay in power, that he would resolve the issue and that it did not matter to us. Actually it does.

There is a deeper lesson. When countries engage in activities that are borderline genocidal, including mass displacement, human rights violations and war crimes, we cannot pretend that the situation will simply contain itself, particularly given that Syria is in the heart of the Middle East and borders seven countries. It has affected Iraq, Jordan and now the international community. Therefore, I am not optimistic about the Carter peace plan. However, if countries such as Ireland start to give voice to Syria, the Carter peace plan and the freedom charter and let people know that we need to take the situation in Syria seriously because it affects all of us, there is some room for optimism.