Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

When we met the Iranian foreign affairs Minister and raised the issue of possible humanitarian corridors, he said there were discussions involving Iran, Turkey and some other countries in the region which would have credibility not only with the Syrian regime led by President Assad but also with the rebels. If we can get agreement from those countries in the surrounding area that have an interest in what is going on, perhaps we could build on that.

I welcome the funding the Government has given to humanitarian assistance, including the refugee issue in Syria and outside it. The EU has agreed to accept 30,000 Syrian refugees from Lebanon under the UNHCR refugee resettlement programme. However, the Government is only planning on accepting 90 of these refugees. While I understand the constraints under which we operate, which we see every day, is it possible for the Government to review this? Was the refugee crisis discussed at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting? While I welcome what we are doing in Syria and the neighbouring countries, is there more Ireland can do?

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