Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I share the concern of the sub-committee and Deputy Deasy. We will push strongly for the maintenance of the commitment to 2015 in an EU context and to 2012 in our context. Nonetheless, pressures are coming on and it is important to maintain momentum.

In the context of the UN General Assembly, Prime Minister Brown took a significant initiative in terms of instigating a summit of the UN on the millennium development goals. That was a useful opportunity to put pressure on countries to rededicate themselves to realise the objectives of those goals, which are not being realised at the speed they should be if we are to get to the ultimate timelines originally suggested.

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