Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The tragedy unfolding before our eyes in Syria has claimed over 70,000 lives over the past two years, although I understand that is a conservative estimate of the terrible loss of life. The country has been consumed by a civil war that has caused a major humanitarian crisis in the region. The war has also served as a proxy battle between various states and factions in the Middle East. The announcement today by Hizbollah confirming its role in the conflict underlines the broad nature of this conflagration. More disturbing is the evidence that points to the use of chemical weapons in the country. President Obama has stated that chemical weapons have been used but that no chain of custody has been established. The United States of America has committed to reviewing its approach if it is clear that chemical weapons have been deployed and the hostile parties involved are identified. It is most likely option is the selective arming of rebel groups in the war against the Assad regime if it is proven to have deployed chemical weapons.

Observers fear that as the war intensifies, the Assad regime will fall back on using chemical weapons as it runs out of other options. Alternatively, disparate rebel groups will acquire the weaponry which is dispersed across the country and use it as part of their arsenal. The presence of chemical weapons in a country tearing itself apart is a ticking time bomb. The humanitarian crisis will be on an even more unprecedented scale. The Syrian National Coalition, the umbrella opposition group that has been recognised by the West, has called on the UN Security Council to allow its inspectors in Cyprus to enter Syria to search for chemical weapons. In a statement, the opposition said: "We have confirmed reports from a number of countries in the world that the Syrian regime used chemical weapons on a limited scale, but it is seriously preparing for repeat use on a large scale, and the world must act before a major disaster occurs, not afterwards.”

The escalation of the threat begs the question as to what actions the EU will take in dealing with this crisis. Humanitarian assistance is one aspect but the prevention of the outbreak of chemical warfare must be of paramount importance. What actions will the Government support if there has been proven use of chemical weapons in Syria? What unity of purpose is there in the European Union to work alongside other international groups, such as other major powers and the United Nations, to give this major crisis the urgency and attention it deserves and to try to resolve this conflict, which is an unimaginable humanitarian disaster unfolding before us every hour of every day. Sadly, the work of the United Nations to date has been most disappointing.

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