Shane McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael)

I will conclude shortly. In saying all of this, we must be also realistic about what the international community can accomplish in regard to Syria. There is little or no appetite anywhere for any form of external intervention. This also extends to any idea of arming those now opposed to the Syrian regime. We must never fail to remember that Syria is a country through which many fault lines run, whether political, ethnic or religious. The worst-case scenario would be if Syria were to slip into an open civil war which would be profoundly destabilising for the entire region.

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