Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

On many occasions, particularly at GAERT meetings, I have said that in the context of the UN reform issue this is the first opportunity we have to put into practice the principle of responsibility to protect. Ireland and a number of other countries such as Denmark have said at the start of the current phase of difficulties in Sudan that if the sanctions are not sufficient to put pressure on the Sudanese Government, we will have to move to plan B. Plan B is the upward escalation of sanctions, but when to intervene is the key issue. The fact is some progress has been made and it is not a simple matter. Having visited Sudan in July, I know it is not a simple issue of just sending in a UN force. I see that clearly, and when I left Sudan I believed strongly that the situation we have now arrived at would occur, namely, that there is agreement by the Sudanese Government to envisage a much larger UN hybrid mission than the present AMIS initiative. I saw the AMIS mission in July and it was clear it was too small for Darfur, which is similar in size to France. That is why Ireland and other EU countries contributed at a subsequent pledging meeting as regards beefing up the existing AMIS contingent. It is a difficult situation in which, thankfully, Mr. Kofi Annan and the UN have been very actively involved in conjunction with the African Union. I am somewhat hopeful this issue can move positively in the near future.

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