H.E. Mr. Jean-Pierre Thébault:

I will gladly provide it to the Chairman. I hope I have answered the questions on the refugee crisis and the ideology when mentioning the work we have to do with the Muslim community, the role the Muslim community could play in this and what, eventually, we could continue to do.

There was a question about the international alliance and coalition and whether we aim to reduce the military capacity of ISIS in particular. ISIS has a military capacity and we need to tackle it. President Hollande's aim in touring the countries of world leaders is to ensure there is unified front, that there is no escape for Daesh, that we will mobilise, in a co-ordinated way, our strikes on its control and command centres and, more than this, that we will target its sources of wealth. Daesh has taken control of a certain number of oil fields and, unfortunately, there are people out there buying from Daesh and giving it money in exchange for those stolen goods. Fundamentally, Daesh has stolen these goods from the people it has forced to flee as refugees or that it has executed. This matter must be tackled. Among the strikes, there will be strikes on the oil fields. We must sever any possibility that the terrorists will continue to be funded.

There was a question about Libya. We fully recognise that this question is not only in Syria and Iraq but is also in all the destabilised or weak countries which currently exist. Libya has been specifically mentioned in this context. This is one of the reasons we insist on putting attention on countries like Mali, which was saved almost at the last minute from the establishment of a Daesh-like regime. It needs to be further strengthened and assured in the long run. This is a major issue for the stability of Africa, which is another region that is very important not only for France but for all of Europe. We know the extent of the terrorist threat in Africa. In addition to Daesh, there are groups in this region that are linked to al-Qaeda and Boko Haram. This region, which is trying to develop and is starting to do so, is under threat from this fundamentalism. We need to help Africa to stabilise itself.

Questions were asked about jihadi returnees. We fully recognise that this is a strong problem. There is almost no country in the EU where this is not a problem. We all have a problem of some kind with it. We think it is something that we need to tackle by efficiently exchanging intelligence and looking at what we can do to prevent these people from threatening the peaceful communities to which they are returning, especially when they are actively engaged in terrorist action. We suggest that a severe security answer is the solution at this stage. It would send a signal to people who might see the returnees as heroes or examples.

Before I conclude, I would like to respond to some of the other questions that the Members of the Seanad and the Dáil have asked me. We deeply believe that the problem is neither internal nor external. All aspects of this problem are linked together. Daesh is not something outside; it is something outside which is engineering and conspiring against us inside. The masterminds might be elsewhere, but they are constantly exchanging and going in and out. That is one of the challenges. We cannot solve this problem internally only. We have to solve the problem internally and externally. Even if the root of the problem is external, it has consequences at home. Only solidarity among the EU partners will help us to tackle this issue effectively and swiftly.

This huge threat is probably unprecedented in its scale. It is always understandable that there might be hesitation, but any hesitation will weaken our answer. For that reason, I am willing to provide to the committee two elements on which I must insist. First, we have always considered France as a country that acts only in the legal framework of the UN charter and UN security resolutions. Second, we are very much insisting on the democratic support we need to have at home to take any measures. I know there have been some questions about the state of emergency and what it means. Are fundamental freedoms at stake and in danger of disappearing in France, which is a country of liberty? I think it is reassuring for everybody to know that these extra powers are specifically and precisely limited and can only live and continue under the close scrutiny of both houses of our parliament. From this point of view, it is also an exercise in and a moment of democracy in my country.

I will conclude by talking about the quality of the answers which will be provided by all the EU partners. This obviously includes Ireland, which is of great importance for us politically and from a symbolic point of view. The quality of the answers we are able to give as we fight and tackle effectively this new kind of threat will contribute to international peace and security. I want to reiterate Deputy Crowe's point that we are not just speaking about what happened in Paris. We are speaking also about the lives of the poor people in Tunis and Beirut, the lives of those who were on the flight that was destroyed over the Sinai Peninsula and the lives of all the other people who are still threatened by Daesh. If we do not take action immediately, without too much hesitation, the threat will increase and the death toll will get larger.