Noel Grealish (Galway West, Independent)
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I welcome Dr. Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun. I had the opportunity to meet His Holiness in Foscari with the Holy Father, Pope Francis. I have already heard his case concerning what is happening to our Christian brethren not just in Syria but also in the Middle East generally. Two years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the refugee camps in Lebanon with Cardinal Schönborn. We met Christian families that were forcibly removed from Syria by ISIS. We heard their harrowing stories and learned how they felt abandoned and forgotten. They do not want to move to other countries to live in refugee camps; they want to return home to their native country.

There is an onus on the international community, including all governments, to work together to find a solution to the problems in the Middle East. The latter should not be a pawn between the two major superpowers. I do not agree with the comments of Donald Trump about Muslims and Mexicans during the US presidential election campaign. Those comments only inciting more hatred. I hope President-elect Trump will retract his words and work to find a peaceful solution not just in Syria but also in the Middle East generally.

Ireland will be a friend and will work with the witnesses, but ours is a small nation. We have to punch above our weight both at the United Nations and within the European Union. I have asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to arrange a debate in Parliament, hopefully before Christmas, to get the support of the Government and the Oireachtas for a worldwide movement to bring peace to the Middle East. Dr. Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun is correct that sanctions do not work because they adversely affect ordinary people. I have read that 49% of Syria's hospitals have been destroyed, while 23% of hospitals are inaccessible, as are medical supplies that are desperately needed. I plead for these sanctions to be lifted in order to provide much-needed supplies in Syria.

Perhaps Dr. Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun could elaborate on the national reconciliation movement and how we can work with it. As the Chairman said, in order to achieve peace, one has to lay down arms and talk. If that does not happen, then peace cannot be achieved.

Perhaps we could work with the national reconciliation movement as a small nation to give example of what we have achieved in Northern Ireland. That took decades but I hope it will not be the case in the Middle East.

There are other speakers and I could go on all day. Perhaps one or two of the witnesses will outline their view on the Russian involvement in Aleppo. We heard from the archbishop of Aleppo when he was smuggled out in a steel container under a truck to speak to us in Frascati. He also spoke on the occasion we met Pope Francis. We know the harrowing situation and what is happening in Aleppo. Perhaps the witnesses will give us their views on the Russian involvement. I am delighted to meet the witnesses again and perhaps we will have a chat after the session. As I said, Ireland will be a friend and will work with the witnesses.