Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Thursday, 10 May 2018

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence

Syrian Conflict: Irish Syria Solidarity Movement

10:00 am

Photo of Seán BarrettSeán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I find this most frustrating. When I was Minister for Defence I visited troops in Lebanon and went to Syria to try to keep in contact with the regime because our troops were under fire from rogues who came from Syria. That was over 20 years ago. I find this a most frustrating problem because nobody seems to know exactly what the likes of us, as politicians in Ireland, can do at a practical level to contribute towards the solution to this problem. Aid is one thing and, of course, people in distress need help. Ireland has a tradition of doing its bit in respect of aid, but there seems to be no possibility that an end may come to all of this. That is the most frustrating thing for me.

Can Dr. Sparrow give us some light? We hear all of the bad stories. We know who is involved, who is propping up the regime and all of that type of thing, but the reality is from afar. Given that we have, if I remember correctly, about 500 troops in Lebanon it is very important to Ireland but has never been discussed. It is possible that there will be spillover from time to time, in particular where our troops are located. I am frustrated to have to ask Dr. Sparrow whether she would ask us to do one, two or three things of a practical nature to try to bring a solution of some kind to the situation.

It is all very fine to condemn Russia and so on but condemnation will not bring about a solution to this problem. I am searching for a ray of hope whereby if actions were taken in a certain direction, there might be a solution to the problem but there does not seem to be any talk of this.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.