Brian Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)

-----does not exactly increase influence. There is a need for people to look rigorously at what is happening here and as a chain of events, as the Minister for Foreign Affairs has said, to indicate that a position has been taken here which seems to suggest that people can act with impunity or that one nation's or one government's particular definition of events is the one that should dictate international responses. I do not think that is a position that stands up to rigorous scrutiny.

On the question of the trade deal with Colombia, I will have the matter further inquired into and will come back to the Deputy in due course.

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