Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 6 February 2013

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade

Human Rights Issues: Discussion with EU Special Representative for Human Rights

2:50 pm

Mr. Stavros Lambrinidis:

It is very challenging for me as a former foreign minister to deal with all of those questions but I have to respect my mandate, which is human rights, and try to limit it there, although I recognise, of course, that there is no conflict in the world that has not had human rights either at the roots of its creation or as an important element for its resolution. Anyone who looks at human rights and foreign policy as if they were two separate things, are missing the ball. I will not evade any of the questions-----