Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)

I thank the Deputy for commending me on the actions the Government has taken on the situation in Syria and the successful visit of the Vice President of China over the weekend. The Foreign Minister of China also was part of the delegation and I had the opportunity to talk to him separately. We discussed the situation in Syria and shared our respective views on the seriousness of the issue. What is happening there on a daily basis is absolutely unacceptable and intolerable. As the Deputy noted, more than 6,000 people have been killed. The approach at this stage is one of supporting the Arab League. As the Deputy stated, the latter has withdrawn its monitors. However, it has a key role to play. The Arab League has put forward a formula which would lead to a change of regime in Syria and to a more general change in that country. The meeting being arranged by the Friends of Syria, which is due to be held on Friday next, will present a further opportunity for the international community to engage with the Arab League in considering what might be the next steps with regard to making progress. It is regrettable that the Security Council was not in a position to adopt a resolution in respect of this matter. I previously discussed the situation in Syria with the Russian Foreign Minister. Following the meeting on Friday, it is possible that I may do so again.

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