Bernard Allen (Cork North Central, Fine Gael)

Looking at the news excerpts on television recently, one could see that the attack on Mr. Tsvangarai was a shameful act by a shameless government. Mere words of condemnation, be they uttered by our Government, the EU or any other democratically elected government, are not good enough. It should go beyond that, and it has gone beyond that in Zimbabwe, which has been plunged into the abyss of economic destruction and the erosion of human rights.

Surely the African Union and Zimbabwe's powerful neighbour, South Africa, have some role to play in this. Surely South Africa, through its membership of the Security Council, has a major role to play. I was disappointed to read recently that South Africa has been instrumental in blocking any discussion of Zimbabwe at the Security Council on the grounds that it is an internal matter. The Minister must agree that it is not an internal matter when human and democratic rights are seriously eroded by a dictator who has outlived his usefulness. At this stage, surely Ireland and the EU can put pressure on South Africa and its neighbours to exert some pressure on this despot.

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