Joan Collins (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)

Does the Minister agree that there is a high level of hypocrisy in the stance taken by the western powers, especially the United States, Britain and France, and that a double standard is being applied? Will he join me in condemning the crimes against the civilian population committed not only by the Gadaffi regime but also by the regimes in Bahrain and Yemen? Will he condemn the Saudi intervention in Bahrain where pro-democracy protests have been repressed with considerable loss of life? Is it the case that different rules apply when it comes to the oil rich Saudi regime? Does the Minister agree that the denial of democratic rights and repression of dissent, including the arbitrary arrest and detention and disappearance of activists, have been systematic in all of the states in question for decades during which time they have been armed and supported by the United States, Britain and France?

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