Enda Kenny (Mayo, Fine Gael)

I wish to return to the issue of China in respect of the arms embargo. The Taoiseach will be aware that the European Parliament voted overwhelmingly to maintain the embargo. He said that the Irish Government has no beneficial interest in having the embargo lifted. He will also be aware the EU code of conduct for arms exports was adopted in June 1998, which placed human rights before trade. There have been serious changes in China in terms of legislation and movement in that direction, but political freedom there still lags behind many other countries. What is the Government's view on the arms embargo against China being lifted? The United States is very much opposed. The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly to maintain the embargo until there is transparent and visible progress in the area of human rights. I, no more than probably other Deputies, have received correspondence regarding people being arrested for the practise of Falun Gong, which the Taoiseach raised with the President of China on a number of occasions. The Taoiseach might answer my question on this.

As the Taoiseach is aware, the Kyoto Protocol has been ratified by 141 countries, with notable exceptions being the United States and Australia. The Russian Federation recently became a signatory to it. That prompted the European Council to send congratulations to the Federation at the March meeting. The United States has still not become a signatory to the protocol. At the recent EU-US Summit was there any discussion with the US President about the Kyoto Protocol. He made remarks previously that it was not working, it would not work and that an alternative should be put place, but the Taoiseach said that there appeared to be a marked change in the way the President was approaching this issue and that he appeared to be in a much stronger listening mode in view of the concerns expressed worldwide about climate change and the necessity to have the Kyoto Protocol implemented. Will the Taoiseach bring us up to the date on discussions at that conference about the Kyoto Protocol?

See this speech in context