Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Minister for his response. Since we last debated this difficult situation in the Chamber, we have had the opportunity, through the good offices of Deputy Pat Breen, Chairman of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, to hear at first hand the experience of Syrian citizens resident in this country. That meeting was held in camera, lest their families in Syria be put at risk by the evidence being given. That meeting brought home to us the enormous seriousness and the impact of this disastrous situation on families. I salute the Tánaiste for the work he has been doing through Friends of Syria.

The last time we spoke about this matter in the Dáil we mentioned the statement of the United States Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Clinton, about attack helicopters being provided by the Russian regime. Mrs. Clinton got it wrong, it would appear. It was repair of helicopters that was being carried out by the Russian authorities. Does the Tánaiste agree with the Secretary of State when she asserts that China and Russia have a critical role to play in working towards a resolution of this problem? What is his response to the suggestion from Moscow that the Iranian authorities, and Prime Minister Ahmadinejad, should be involved in the process of working towards a resolution to the problem, given the close relations that exist between Iran and Syria?

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