Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)

The Government is deeply concerned about the deteriorating situation in Syria. Almost 3 million people have been affected by the civil unrest in Syria since it began in March 2011. The population of the Homs district of Baba Amr has been displaced. While exact figures are difficult to ascertain, the number of fatalities thus far is at least 8,000, with 2,500 killed in the past month alone. A further 200,000 people have fled their homes and 30,000 are now living as refugees. The Government shares the widespread regret at the Security Council's failure in February to adopt a draft resolution, which otherwise commanded extensive support, due to the veto by Russia and China. The five permanent members of the Security Council are continuing their consultations on a new draft resolution on Syria without any sign of an imminent breakthrough.

Intensive international efforts have continued, however. The former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has been appointed joint special envoy of the UN and Arab League. Mr. Annan held two days of talks with President Assad, during which he presented concrete proposals for a ceasefire and humanitarian access. No agreement emerged at the meeting, however. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is the lead Department in this issue. To date that Department has not been approached by United Nations for assistance. At this time there is no provision in the draft Security Council resolution for a military operation. It is envisaged that any intervention by the UN will be humanitarian in nature and, therefore, the Defence Forces would not play a role.

See this speech in context