Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I thank the Chairperson and the members of the committee. I am pleased to have this opportunity to meet with the committee today to bring members up to date on foreign policy developments in recent months.

I propose to focus on three areas in my opening statement: discussions at the Foreign Affairs Council for the second quarter of 2013 and a forward look to the Council on 22 July; Ireland's recently concluded Presidency of the Council of the European Union and specifically the achievements in the external policy area and priorities for Ireland's membership of the UN Human Rights Council.

During the period of our EU Presidency, the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council remained as busy as ever. In particular, developments in regard to countries in the Middle East and North Africa region which are undergoing transition continued to feature prominently on the EU's foreign policy agenda. Most attention focussed on the ongoing crisis in Syria, though developments in Egypt and Lebanon and the EU's overall response to the "Arab Spring" were also the subject of extensive discussion in the Foreign Affairs Council.

At the meeting of the Council next Monday, a heavy emphasis on Middle East issues is again likely. Under the southern neighbourhood item, the Council will discuss developments in relation to the Syrian conflict and the situation in Egypt following the military intervention which removed President Morsi and his government earlier this month. Committee members will recall that there was an extensive discussion of Syria at the May Council. It unfortunately did not prove possible to get agreement to renew the arms embargo. Apart from this, however, all elements of the EU's current sanctions regime against Syria were renewed. In line with the political declaration adopted at its May meeting, the Council is committed to reviewing its overall policy on Syria before 1 August. It will do so on the basis of an oral report by the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on developments in respect of the planned Geneva II peace conference which the US and Russia, in conjunction with the UN, are seeking to advance.

The overall situation in Syria remains dire, with no early end in sight to the military conflict and the humanitarian situation on the ground continuing to worsen. A political resolution remains absolutely essential. The US, Russia and the UN are working to advance the Geneva II initiative. Realistically, however, it is likely to be the autumn at the earliest before any peace conference takes place. The main Syria opposition group, the Syrian National Coalition, SNC, has now elected a new leader, Ahmed Jarba. However, given military advances by the regime in recent weeks, the SNC is for the moment unwilling to contemplate participation in Geneva II until such time as it is in a militarily stronger position. Geneva II remains the only realistic hope for achieving a political breakthrough which might end the conflict. I have no doubt that the Council, through the High Representative on Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Catherine Ashton, will wish to reiterate the EU's full support for this effort.

Turning to Egypt, the situation there remains of great concern and will be a major item of discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council. I have already made clear my views on the events which resulted in the removal from office of President Morsi and his government. I believe that no one who truly subscribes to democratic values can view with equanimity the military takeover which has taken place in Egypt. The primary emphasis now, however, must be on what the EU and the international community can do to assist the Egyptian people to emerge from this current crisis and to keep them firmly on the path of transition towards stronger democratic institutions and improved governance in Egypt.

In common with our EU partners, the Government strongly believes that the only solution to the situation with which we are now confronted in Egypt is to promote a fully inclusive process of political dialogue and reconciliation aimed at the swiftest possible restoration of democratic rule and civilian-led government. All political forces, including of course the Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party, must be encouraged to sit down together and work out a credible timetable for early parliamentary and presidential elections as well as any necessary constitutional reforms.

The security situation in Egypt remains tense and highly volatile. All sides have a duty to act with restraint at this time. I would encourage the interim authorities to undertake conciliatory measures to defuse the crisis, including the release of all political detainees and the re-opening of media stations which were closed following the military's intervention. Fundamental freedoms and the rule of law must also be clearly upheld. Egypt and its people are experiencing a difficult transition to full democracy. Ireland and its EU partners want to provide whatever support we can for the Egyptian people as they undergo this transition. I should add that my Department and the Irish embassy in Cairo are keeping our travel advice under constant review. For the moment, my Department is recommending against any non-essential travel to Egypt with the exception, however, of the Red Sea resorts, where the situation remains stable.

Next week's Foreign Affairs Council will consider the Middle East peace process over lunch. There was an in-depth discussion of recent developments at the June Council, though no conclusions were adopted on that occasion. It remains unclear at this stage whether conclusions will be adopted at next week's Council or exactly how wide-ranging a discussion the High Representative is planning. The primary focus at present is on the US Secretary of State's efforts to get substantive negotiations between the two sides resumed. Ireland and its EU partners strongly support these efforts and appreciate greatly Secretary of State, John Kerry's personal commitment to this work. We understand that he is continuing to work on proposals which might form the basis for a resumption of talks, though no details have yet been released as his talks with both sides are continuing and there is a possibility that he may visit the region again over the coming days.

Ministers will be paying much attention to the US initiative and its prospects in their discussion next Monday. However, I also consider it important that the Council should address the deteriorating situation on the ground, which is a serious obstacle in the way of a resumption of meaningful peace talks. There is much that the EU can, and should, do in order to provide momentum and leadership in the Middle East peace process. We should seek in particular to persuade Israel to come forward with meaningful confidence-building measures and to desist from its destructive settlement policy. I therefore hope that the Council can engage in a wide-ranging discussion next Monday which will address the Middle East peace process in its entirety. There are strong expectations in the region and more generally that the EU would play a more active role. Any conclusions adopted should be comprehensive in their scope. Time is moving on and the real fear is that continued inaction on the Middle East peace process will only heighten tensions, including on the ground, and imperil whatever prospects may exist at present for political progress.

Finally, on Middle East issues, the Council is due to discuss over lunch the current situation in Lebanon, which has been greatly impacted by the crisis in neighbouring Syria. Although the Lebanese Government and political parties are endeavouring to keep their country out of the crisis, they are finding this very difficult as political tensions rise and violence related to the crisis spills over into northern Lebanon and into Beirut itself, where there have been bombings targeting Hezbollah strongholds in recent days.

In considering the current unstable situation, the Council may also be asked to examine a proposal made by one partner that the EU would designate the military wing of Hezbollah a terrorist organisation. During the extensive discussion of this issue at working level in Brussels under the Irish Presidency, consensus did not prove possible among the EU member states. It remains unclear whether consensus will be possible if the proposal is now raised at political level. The High Representative and EAS are continuing efforts to fashion proposals which might provide a basis for compromise and obviously Ireland would welcome and give serious consideration to any such proposals which may be presented.

At the May Foreign Affairs Council, foreign affairs ministers discussed the Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, over lunch as part of preparations for a planned discussion on defence issues at the European Council in December 2013. This followed on from the decision taken by the European Council in December last year which set out the parameters of this discussion. At that European Council meeting, the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Baroness Ashton, was tasked with developing proposals and actions in the identified areas. The High Representative's interim report is expected to be published before the end of July and will feed into the discussions on CSDP at the December European Council. In the meantime, preparatory work is being undertaken in various formal and informal fora on the three clusters. At their discussion in May, Ministers agreed on the need to improve planning and management of CSDP missions to make them more effective.

In a discussion of Afghanistan at the June Council, Ministers took stock of the current security situation there following an announcement by President Karzai on 18 June about the final stage of the hand-over of responsibility for security from ISAF to the Afghan National Security Forces. They confirmed also the EU's commitment to state-building and long-term development and stressed the importance of the Afghan Government's fulfilling the commitments it has given. Ireland supports continuing international efforts to develop Afghanistan into a peaceful, self-governing democratic nation, based on respect for human rights, including the rights of Afghan women, and respect for the rule of law. Our contribution to this process is made through support for humanitarian programmes and the deployment of civilian experts and members of the Defence Forces to international missions in Afghanistan.

We do not underestimate the daunting challenges facing Afghanistan in the period ahead. The international community must coordinate closely to maximise the impact and effectiveness of what we are doing.

Improving the day-to-day lives of the Afghan people is central to securing the people's support for their Government, removing the arguments for the illicit narcotics trade and undermining those who would advocate terrorism.

I will provide a brief report on the situation in the western Balkans. Croatia was formally welcomed as the EU's 28th member state on 1 July. I attended the celebrations which took place in Zagreb. I highlighted the importance of European Union membership for Croatia. The entry of Croatia into the Union demonstrates also what is possible when a country holds steadfastly to the difficult reform processes necessary for accession. The western Balkans was discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council in June, where the focus was on the negotiations in the Belgrade Pristina Dialogue between Serbia and Kosovo. The determination of the Serbian and Kosovan prime ministers to find a workable solution to normalising bilateral relations is to be commended. The dialogue, which was actively and ably facilitated by High Representative Ashton, resulted in an agreement on 19 April and an implementation plan on 21 May. The June European Council agreed to open accession negotiations with Serbia and the General Affairs Council agreed a negotiating framework for a stabilisation and association agreement with Kosovo, the first stage on the path towards EU membership.

Foreign Affairs Ministers have over the past year focused increasingly on the global challenges which we all face. They have considered how EU foreign policy can contribute to tackling these. The April meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council discussed the issue of energy security,which is essential to economic development and competitiveness. Ministers agreed on the need to pursue efforts to diversify our sources of supply and to develop our transport infrastructure. EU foreign policy has an important role to play in this regard, not least in terms of our relationship with key partner countries.

At our meeting in June, we discussed EU climate diplomacy in the presence of Commissioner Hedegaard. We adopted conclusions which restated the EU's support for a new legally binding climate agreement by 2015. Climate change impacts particularly on the most vulnerable countries and is intrinsically linked with sustainable development. The Ministers agreed on the need to ensure coherence with the post-2015 development agenda. I also took the opportunity to brief my counterparts on the very successful Dublin conference on hunger, nutrition and climate change, which I co-hosted with former President Mary Robinson last April, as part of our Presidency programme.

The July Council is also expected to adopt conclusions on EU water diplomacy. The conclusions acknowledge the potential security risks associated with the competition for water resources and set out the objectives for future EU engagement in water diplomacy, with particular reference to areas such as the Nile basin and Central Asia.

Myanmar-Burma is continuing to undergo a process of long-awaited transformation. Despite the undeniable complex challenges which remain, I have been encouraged by the manner in which the situation in Myanmar-Burma has improved in many respects. Ireland has always remained ready to respond positively to genuine progress towards democratisation and respect for human rights. Ireland stands ready to share its experiences and to assist the process of democratisation in Myanmar-Burma in whatever way possible.

From a development co-operation point of view, Ireland's recent experience in Asia is highly relevant to Myanmar-Burma. To this end, officials from my Department undertook a scoping mission in early July which focused on progressing development and other bilateral links between Ireland and Myanmar-Burma. This included an assessment of options for a small number of niche areas in which a development programme supported by Ireland could have an impact and be a response to local needs. There was close liaison with EU partners during this mission.

At the last Foreign Affairs Council Ministers decided to lift all sanctions against Myanmar-Burma, bar the arms embargo and the embargo on equipment which might be used for internal repression. We also had a short discussion about the outstanding areas for progress which need to be addressed by the Government of Myanmar-Burma, such as addressing ethnic conflict and extremism and improving humanitarian access.

The Eastern Partnership featured on the agendas of the April and June Council meetings in preparation for the Vilnius summit on 28 and 29 November. It will also be discussed at our meeting next Monday. In particular, Ministers will hear reports on the state of play of the negotiations for association agreements and free trade agreements, known as DCFTA agreements, with Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova. It is almost certain that agreements with Armenia, Georgia and Moldova will be initialled at Vilnius. The association agreement and DCFTA with Ukraine may also be signed at Vilnius if that country has fulfilled the conditions laid down by the December 2012 Foreign Affairs Council. Following the Council, there will be a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers with Eastern Partnership Foreign Ministers which will include a round- table discussion on expectations for the Vilnius summit and beyond.

The Foreign Affairs Council has also maintained a focus on African issues and Mali was the subject of intense discussions in the early part of the year. Ireland played a significant role in facilitating meetings on the crisis in Mali in our capacity as EU Presidency, including hosting important meetings of EU Development and Defence Ministers. The April Foreign Affairs Council adopted a further set of conclusions on Mali which welcomed the commitment by the Malian authorities to implementing the road map for transition. In a further recent positive development, an interim peace agreement was signed between the Malian Government authorities and Tuareg militant groups on 18 June, paving the way for presidential elections on 28 July. This is very welcome. We are consistent in our view that the crisis will not be resolved through military action alone. In this context we are pushing for full implementation of the political road map agreed by the Malians. The holding of presidential elections at the end of this month is an important step.

The Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region continue to face one of the most complex and enduring humanitarian crises in the world and developments in the region will be discussed at the July Foreign Affairs Council. Ongoing instability, human rights violations and violence in the east of the DRC, continue to displace hundreds of thousands of people internally and across borders into Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. The challenges facing the DRC require the support of the international community, not just in terms of traditional humanitarian interventions but also longer term strategies which aim to build the lasting capacity and increase the ability of communities to withstand future shocks. Furthermore, the situation demands the attention and political support of the international community and regional actors.

In this regard, I have voiced Ireland's strong support for the appointment by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of Mary Robinson as his special envoy to oversee the implementation of the peace, security and co-operation framework agreement and the leadership offered by the United Nations in this renewed effort to break the cycle of violence in eastern DRC. I also recognise the constructive role the European Union is playing in the region. The EU is working through political and diplomatic engagement and development co-operation programmes in support of implementation of the peace, security and co-operation framework agreement and the strengthening of the UN peace-keeping force, MONUSCO.

Ireland is a significant humanitarian donor to the DRC. In 2012 alone, Ireland provided over €10 million in emergency and longer-term development funding to the country. Thus far in 2013, Ireland has provided €3.8 million in funding, with much of this directed at the provision of emergency food, water, health and protection to vulnerable groups in eastern DRC.

The current situation in Somalia will also be discussed by the July Foreign Affairs Council. The continuing fragility on the ground was tragically underlined by the attack on the UN compound in Mogadishu last month by the Al Shabaab terrorist group, which claimed 15 lives. The EU is implementing a comprehensive strategy for the Horn of Africa which was adopted in 2011 and which covers the entire region, including Somalia. It addresses all dimensions of the crisis including conflict, underdevelopment, and issues related to governance and human rights.

The EU's support in the area of security includes our funding for the African Union peace-keeping mission and direct engagement through a number of Common Security and Defence Policy missions including the EU training mission, EUTM Somalia, which is building the capacity of the Somali national security forces to enable them to take over responsibility for security and law and order. Ireland is providing the commanding officer and a significant contingent of personnel for EUTM Somalia. Ireland has contributed more than €41 million to efforts to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Somalia and the region. We are committed to continuing to provide support and help in this area. We have also indicated, in the context of our new policy on international development, One World, One Future, which has a strengthened focus on fragile states, that Ireland will examine other opportunities for assisting Somalia's recovery in the period ahead.

I will provide a brief report on Ireland's recently concluded term as Presidency of the Council of the European Union. The Minister of State, Deputy Costello, attended the committee last month to discuss the development aspects of Ireland's Presidency. Accordingly, I do not propose to re-visit that topic. Rather, I will focus my comments on achievements in relation to the Common Foreign and Security Policy. As regards the work of the Foreign Affairs Council, Ireland's overriding priority during the Presidency was to support the work of the High Representative, Catherine Ashton and the European External Action Service.

A key feature of this support role was the substitution function which I undertook, along with the Minister of State, Deputy Costello, and former Minister of State, Deputy Creighton. During the six months of the Presidency, we replaced the High Representative on a total of 18 occasions at meetings with third countries and the European Parliament.

From a policy perspective, the Presidency played an important role in co-ordinating complex EU positions, including at working groups chaired by the Presidency and not least at committee of permanent representatives to EU, COREPER. Ireland organised and hosted a number of very successful informal meetings at ministerial and official level. These focused on the Common Foreign and Security Policy, CFSP, and Common Security and Defence Policy, CSDP, issues and included the "Gymnich" or informal meeting of EU Foreign Ministers which I co-hosted at Dublin Castle on 22 and 23 March. The meetings to which I refer provided an opportunity to discuss sensitive issues away from the more formal environments which obtain in Brussels or Luxembourg. They also provided us with an opportunity to showcase Ireland and demonstrate our commitment to the European project.

During its EU Presidency, Ireland worked to advance the human rights agenda, including the effective implementation of the EU Strategic Framework and Action Plan on Human Rights, which was adopted by the Council of the European Union on 25 June 2012. Key elements from the action plan which featured during our Presidency included two new sets of EU guidelines on human rights. The first of these relates to the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief, while the second relates to the promotion and protection of the human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex, LGBTI, persons. Ireland was extensively engaged in the drafting process of both sets of guidelines, and I was particularly pleased that they were adopted at the final Foreign Affairs Council of Ireland's Presidency on 24 June.

In the context of disarmament and non-proliferation issues, Ireland made a substantial contribution to a successful outcome at the Third Review Conference on the Chemical Weapons Convention, which took place in The Hague in April. During its Presidency, Ireland also worked closely with the EEAS during the negotiations at the UN in March which led to the adoption of an arms trade treaty on 2 April in New York. Ireland was in the first wave of countries to sign this new treaty when the Minister of State, Deputy Costello, attended a special signing ceremony at UN headquarters in New York on 3 June. The Government will move to ratify the treaty in the second half of the year.

During its Presidency, Ireland placed a particular emphasis on strengthening the EU's capacity in the areas of conflict prevention and resolution. We worked closely with the EEAS and the European Parliament on the organisation of a joint conference in Brussels in May on "The EU as a Peacemaker", which I was pleased to address and at which I stressed the importance of joined-up action at EU level to assist in the prevention and resolution of conflict across the globe. This conference brought together over 200 high-level experts from the EU, the United Nations and civil society to examine how the EU's capacities in the areas of conflict prevention and mediation can be strengthened.

As members will be aware, last November Ireland was elected to the Human Rights Council, the UN's principal human rights body. This was the first occasion on which Ireland stood for election to the council. It was an especially hard-fought election and our success represents a major endorsement of Ireland's international standing, particularly in the context of our advocacy of human rights across the globe. Our period on the Human Rights Council began on 1 January 2013 and will run until December 2015. As a member of the HRC, Ireland will continue to prioritise engagement on country situation resolutions as well as on thematic human rights issues which are of concern to the Irish public. Ireland's approach to membership of the Human Rights Council will be guided by the pledges and commitments made during our election campaign, which reflect our well-established human rights priorities. These include but are not limited to: defending the universality of human rights; freedom of expression, particularly on the Internet; freedom of religion or belief; LGBTI rights; the promotion and protection of human rights defenders; women's rights; and combating discrimination and gender-based violence.

At the September 2013 session of the Human Rights Council, Ireland will present two new initiatives. The first of these will relate to civil society space, while the second will relate to child mortality. The new initiative on civil society space will emphasise the importance of the protection of this space in the context of the promotion and protection of all human rights, as well as elements which create, strengthen and ensure an enabling environment in which civil society can operate. The initiative on child mortality is intended to support the much needed engagement of the human rights community in ongoing efforts to strengthen accountability in respect of children's health. The aim of this initiative will be to highlight this important issue and to request the elaboration of technical guidance on the implementation of policies and programmes to reduce child mortality. This follows on from similar previous work on maternal mortality. I look forward to continuing my engagement with this committee on these and other human rights concerns during the course of our Membership of the Human Rights Council.

I will be happy to reply to any questions members may wish to pose.