Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)

I thank Deputies Ann Phelan and Ó Fearghaíl for raising this urgent matter. The Government shares the concern of all right-thinking people at the escalating conflict in Syria which is now estimated to have claimed well over 10,000 lives in the past 15 months. There has been particular revulsion at the massacre in Houla on 25 and 26 May where more than 100 people, including 49 children, died as well as the reported mass killing of 78 people in the village of Al-Qubeir on 6 June. The Tánaiste has strongly condemned both these atrocities, including in statements issued on 27 and 30 May. Such atrocities, as well as the latest reports regarding the fate of the town of Haffa and the use of attack helicopters, provide further unwelcome testimony of the Syrian regime's utter disdain for human life and the welfare of its own people.

In the face of such atrocities, the Syrian people have every right to expect that there will be accountability and those responsible will be ultimately held to account. Ireland welcomes the strong statement issued by EU High Representative on 3 June on this issue.

The EU also actively worked to secure adoption of a resolution by the UN Human Rights Council on 1 June which extends the mandate of the UN Commission of Inquiry in Syria to investigate the events at Houla and report to the UN Security Council on possible criminal prosecutions. Referral of the situation in Syria by the Security Council to the International Criminal Court also remains an option and is one which the Government has already made clear it would be happy to support.

Despite the difficulties it is facing, the Annan plan remains the only agreed plan for ending the violence and promoting a peaceful transition in Syria. As joint UN-Arab League Special Envoy, Kofi Annan intimated to the UN Security Council last week that the problem lies not with his six-point plan but with getting the parties who have agreed it to honour their commitments. In particular, all parties should immediately cease all form of hostilities and the Assad regime must ensure the complete withdrawal of heavy weaponry and troops from population centres, the release of all political detainees and ensure free access to all, including media, humanitarian organisations and the UN. The humanitarian situation within Syria remains critical, with upwards of 1 million in need of assistance. Irish Aid has already provided €500,000 in emergency funding to assist the situation.

It is also critical that the UN Supervision Mission in Syria, UNSMIS, to which Ireland is contributing six officers, is allowed fulfil its mandate and enjoys full freedom of movement as well as security for its personnel. Recent attempts to prevent observers from carrying out their monitoring duties are completely unacceptable. The Minister for Defence is continuing to monitor the situation closely, with a view to ensuring the safety and security of the Irish officers serving with UNSMIS. If the Syrian regime or any other party continues to fail to meet their obligations under the plan, further action by the UN Security Council, including the imposition of sanctions, should be considered. This obviously argues for closer engagement with Russia, as it remains the country best placed to exert influence on the Syrian authorities at present. Special Envoy Annan has advocated an international contact group in this regard and this should be considered. Ireland is already active within the Friends of Syria group and will be represented at the next meeting of the group in Paris on 6 July.

No interest will be served by intensifying the conflict through either external military intervention or arming the opposition since we can already observe the impact which the Syrian crisis is having on the wider region, not least in neighbouring Lebanon. Pressure also must be maintained on the Syrian opposition to coalesce and agree a common platform, since this is an essential element for the Annan plan to succeed. Ultimately, an end to all violence as well as to Bashar Al-Assad's rule and an urgent political transition are required to resolve this crisis. The Annan plan, if fully implemented, offers the template for achieving this. Ireland and its EU partners will continue to work steadfastly in support of this aim.

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