Michael D Higgins (Galway West, Labour)

Is the Minister standing over the first unaccountable decision in 2003 where a sub-committee of civil servants known as the clearing house, formed from the permanent representatives to the European Union, COREPER, had Hamas proscribed, which stopped it participating in political discussion and raising money? I am sure the Minister does not want to mislead the House but is he aware that the European Union stopped funding in 2006 in yet another unaccountable decision? It found an alternative stream for humanitarian relief but not the full funding. In November 2006, having encouraged Hamas to participate in elections, the European Union issued a statement welcoming the fact that the elections had been peaceful but not accepting the result. Is the Minister of State aware that in the presence of the senior Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern, President Carter referred to the elections as perhaps the fairest and most peaceful the Carter Center had observed and that it was he who said he was outraged that the Irish Government, with other Governments, in an unaccountable decision, decided to act in such a way as destabilised the Palestinian people?

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