Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

First, it is important to state there is a unified European Union position that we have to find a peaceful solution to the crisis in Syria. Second, there is a unified European Union position that it put its money where its mouth is. On the provision of humanitarian assistance, the European Union has provided €1.25 billion to date, with €400 million having been allocated on Monday. A good deal of that money is being used to address the refugee problem in surrounding countries. When I visited Turkey I saw at first hand the huge problem with the numbers of refugees and the necessity for facilities to be provided for them.

The only show in town right now is the prospect of Geneva II talks. The European Union supports this and has encouraged both the United States and Russia in that direction. On the question of when they will happen, that is unclear because there is still a large degree of uncertainty about the participation of all sides in the conference. If the Syrian authorities have indicated their agreement in principle to attend, the opposition has not yet formally taken a position, despite having formulated repeated demands for excluding the top echelons of the Assad regime from any political process. Furthermore, the presence of Iran at the conference has turned into a fractious issue. On the one hand, Russia insists on Iranian attendance, while, on the other, France and Saudi Arabia, supported by the United States, object to such participation.

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