Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Tánaiste for his address and I fully support his comments in the Dáil today. Only yesterday, we discussed the humanitarian situation in Japan and today we are discussing another crisis and an equally disturbing ongoing situation in Libya. Seismic shifts in the world's political landscape are taking shape on a daily basis. Last month, Libya felt the ripples from the popular revolts that had taken place in the neighbouring countries of Egypt and Tunisia. Once the protestors took to the streets, the Gadaffi regime wasted no time in using violence to keep control and the protests became an uprising. However, the situation has escalated considerably since them. Key figures and senior officials have deserted the regime.

Libya has been tightly controlled by its leader, Colonel Gadaffi, for almost 40 years. During this time he has been denounced repeatedly by the West for oppressing internal dissidents and for carrying out what can only be described as State-sponsored terrorism. All the while, Gadaffi has amassed a multi-billion fortune for himself and his cronies. Gadaffi has used deplorable tactics on the civilian population to uphold his dictatorship. He is utterly ruthless and, to use own words, he has promised to die a martyr, if necessary, in his fight against the rebels and external forces. During his reign, Gadaffi has established revolutionary committees, resembling similar systems in communist countries. It is reported that between 10% and 20% of Libyans worked in surveillance for these committees, similar to what went on under Saddam Hussein in Iraq or Kim Jong-il in North Korea. The surveillance took place throughout all sectors of society, in government, factories and the education sector. Those found having political conversations with foreigners are imprisoned. The teaching of foreign languages in schools was banned in an attempt to stop the people engaging with the Western world. I note last night's news reports of a woman who tried to contact her family and friends in Ireland. She is a Dublin woman whose husband is a Libyan-born doctor. She made the point that the safest place for her and her husband was in the hospital where he worked.

The people of this country are aware of the effects of Libyan arms being used against innocent civilians during the Troubles in the North. Now may be a good time to bring forward the truth about the extent of Libyan involvement in providing arms during that period. The intelligence community should consider whether intelligence reports could be published, as any record that could provide information would be most helpful.

According to the freedom of the press index, Libya is the most censored country in the Middle East. This makes it even more remarkable that the Libyan people followed their neighbours in calling for a regime change. It shows us the incredible power of social media and the Internet. It is amazing that protestors have used tools such as Facebook and Twitter to communicate and mobilise, as is the effectiveness of those tools. It would appear that, no matter how oppressive a government, it is almost impossible to keep the world out.

Benghazi, the country's second city, is now established as the rebels' stronghold and reports suggest that Colonel Gadaffi has no more than 10,000 troops available to him. The air strikes will make it more difficult for him to reassert his authority. The international community watched in horror and fascination as events unfolded in the Middle East. Following the outcry from the international community, the members of the UN Security Council voted to adopt Resolution 1973, which permits the use of all necessary measures, including the imposition of a no-fly zone to prevent further attacks and the loss of innocent lives in Libya where Colonel Gadaffi's regime has conducted a military offensive against citizens seeking his removal from power. This raises the question of why the West has stepped in to stop the loss of life and protect the civilian population of Libya but has failed to do so in other countries where there have been humanitarian atrocities. As American Secretary of State Ms Hilary Clinton stated last week, the diplomatic landscape changed because the Arab League supported the introduction of a no-fly zone, facilitating Western intervention. Furthermore, Libya's neighbours in Tunisia and Egypt are not great supporters of the regime and are concerned about the impact of political instability in the regime should the situation rumble on.

Fianna Fáil supports the UN Security Council resolution and the Government in this matter. We support military operations taken under and in strict accordance with the resolution. It is about protecting civilians whose lives are at risk under the Gadaffi regime. It is about helping the innocent victims of genocide. The UN resolution is about the cessation of the violence, not about aggression. In short, it is not about wiping out Gadaffi.

The Libyan intervention force under the UN is being managed by the Americans. As mentioned by the Tánaiste, President Obama stated that he would like to relinquish control in a matter of days and not in a matter of weeks. According to press reports, some of the allies are keen to ensure the mission is NATO-controlled, but this is being resisted by the French who believe it would not be acceptable to the Arab League. Clearly, events are moving rapidly and developments are unfolding on a daily basis.

It is vital that the EU provides support to the people of Libya during this crisis. We must do our best to support emerging democracies in the Middle East. I hope the work of the Tánaiste and the Government will be successful.

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