Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)

I thank Deputies Simon Harris and Alex White for raising this issue. I am responding on behalf of the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, who regrets he is unable to be present.

The situation in Syria is one of the utmost gravity which has attracted the almost universal condemnation of the international community. It is appropriate that we should discuss this issue today.

Because the Syrian authorities are not providing access, we do not have a clear picture of what is happening in Syria in terms of deaths, injuries, torture, rape and other abuses, but there is no doubting the scale of the suffering and the extent of human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law due to the actions of the Syrian regime.

In the past month, the situation has deteriorated greatly. The Syrian army has escalated its violent attacks, including indiscriminate and relentless bombings, against civilian areas in the city of Homs and the northern province of Idlib. There are thousands of trapped civilians under merciless assault from their own government who urgently require protection and humanitarian assistance.

Ireland has been working intensively with the EU, the UN, the Arab League and other partners in the international community to compel the Syrian regime, through a series of robust economic, political and diplomatic measures, to cease its appalling attacks on the Syrian people.

At EU level, the Foreign Affairs Council agreed, on 1 December and 23 January, additional measures related to the energy, financial, banking and trade sectors, as well as the listing of additional individuals and entities involved in the violence or supporting the regime. The Government fully backs these measures. They come on top of extensive existing EU sanctions, including a ban on oil imports from Syria. Syria will also figure heavily on the agenda for the EU Foreign Affairs Council next Monday. The Tánaiste will be attending this meeting where there will be consideration of how the EU can step up even further the already considerable international pressure on the Assad regime to change course. This may include additional restrictive measures.

At UN level, Ireland and all its EU partners voted in favour of a UN General Assembly resolution on 16 February which condemned human rights violations in Syria and which was supported by an overwhelming majority of UN member states. The Tánaiste also outlined Ireland's serious concerns at the situation in Syria when he addressed the UN Security Council on 9 February. In addition, the Tánaiste discussed Syria with the UN Secretary General at a meeting on the same day.

The Government regrets very much that the Security Council, in failing to adopt on 4 February a draft resolution which commanded extensive support, has been unable so far to speak with a single voice on Syria. A strongly worded Security Council resolution would be a uniquely powerful and resonant demonstration of concern on the part of the international community and would add significantly to the pressure on the Assad regime. The Council's failure to date has instead provided a pretext for the Syrian regime to escalate its brutality against the civilian population.

The Arab League, for its part, has been providing strong leadership in relation to the Syria crisis. The peace plan which it outlined last November still provides the best basis for achieving a resolution. The initial meeting of the Friends of Syria group in Tunisia tomorrow, which the Tánaiste will attend, is also likely to prove valuable in considering how to assist Syrian civilians and in endeavouring to bring together representatives of Syria's fragmented peaceful opposition.

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