Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I thank Deputy Durkan. The murders to which he refers have arisen mainly in connection with the campaign of terror waged by ISIS across Syria and Iraq. I have been appalled by these atrocities and am of the view that there must be accountability for all such actions, including through referral to the International Criminal Court. The recent report of the United Nations Human Rights Council-mandated commission of inquiry on Syria reported extensive violations by ISIS, including summary executions, torture, enforced disappearances and forcible displacement. Ireland supports the ongoing work of the commission and regards its work of gathering records and evidence of war crimes as an essential component in achieving legal accountability for the victims of the Syrian conflict.

Terrorism poses a global threat and therefore requires a co-ordinated response from the international community. At EU level, a special meeting of the European Council in August called for accelerated implementation of a package of measures agreed in June 2013 concerning four priority areas, namely, prevention of radicalisation, detection of suspicious travel, investigation and prosecution and co-operation with third countries. The European Council will review this issue next December. More broadly, UN Security Council Resolution 2178 of 2014 on foreign terrorist fighters was adopted unanimously in September 2014. Ireland co-sponsored the resolution, together with 103 other states, which included all other EU member states. The terms of this resolution are consistent with the European Council’s conclusions. The resolution takes a comprehensive, human rights-compliant approach to tackling the foreign fighters problem in accordance with international law. It highlights the need to tackle the underlying causes of radicalisation through community outreach initiatives, while at the same time focusing on strengthening legal and security measures. This comprehensive strategy is very much in line with Ireland’s approach on the issue.

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