Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputies for those remarks. Yesterday I also met with the director general of UNICEF, the director general of the UN World Food Programme and with Commissioner Georgieva, to discuss how aid can be delivered and the role of non-governmental organisations. It is now easier to get essential aid into Syria. I also met Dr. al-Khatib at the Friends of Syria conference in December. He is the leader of the Syrian National Coalition. The Tánaiste and I invited him to Dublin to discuss these issues during the Irish Presidency. We hope to receive a positive response in this regard. As the Deputies said, the UN Security Council resolution is extremely important. That is the context in which the Arab League and the United Nations are moving forward with Mr. Brahimi. It is imperative for the members of the Security Council to recognise the seriousness of the situation and to cease the stand-off. I have no doubt that the sanctions will remain while the current situation continues.

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