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

Like other speakers, I welcome the fact that two hours was set aside to allow us discuss the deteriorating situation in Syria. I want to make it clear at the outset that I am not a pacifist. Consistent with the principles of international law, I believe the use of force can be necessary sometimes as a last resort to prevent the deaths of others or the oppression of a people.

I am aware the Syrian people are extremely divided at the moment and we cannot accurately speak on behalf of the Syrian people. We also cannot fully understand the extent of the violence and destruction they are facing. We know of the conflict in our own country but what is happening in Syria is unspeakable. It is surely one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent times. There are a lot of domestic and international political forces at play and it is important at the outset to recognise that. Instead of getting bogged down in pontificating our own world view, attempting to smear other Deputies and parties and somehow questioning their humanity, I hope that in this debate, we speak as one to condemn the violence and destruction and that, as a group of Irish parliamentarians, we can in some small way help in the humanitarian response and ultimately aid and assist efforts to find a negotiated solution to the conflict.

This savage war has left approximately 8 million people displaced people inside Syria, 4.5 million refugees beyond Syrian borders, over 1 million people injured and more than 400,000 people killed. As Sinn Féin's spokesperson on foreign affairs since 2012, the war in Syria has been to forefront of my work. From the very outset of the war I have condemned the brutal reaction of the Syrian regime to the democratic protests that ultimately led to the outbreak of this conflict and I condemned the foreign interference, which has bankrolled armed groups and elongated the conflict. Long before Deputy Micheál Martin began using the suffering and violence in Syria as a political football in an attempt to smear Opposition parties, I was speaking out against Turkey and Saudi Arabia's funding, arming and support of extremist jihadist groups in Syria. I was speaking out against Russia and Iran's military support of the Syrian army and instead called on them to use their influence to broker a ceasefire and initiate a peace process. Their current actions in Aleppo and the use of barrel bombs and bunker-busting bombs on heavily-populated civilian areas, including hospitals and food markets, are criminal.

When I visited in Iran in January 2014 with the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, I personally raised the case of the besieged Palestinian refugee camp of Yarmouk. I appealed to the Iranian foreign affairs Minister to use his influence to lift the Syrian army's siege of this camp and to open humanitarian corridors so that aid could reach those desperately in need of it. I have also strongly criticised the USA's decision to directly and indirectly intervene in the war. Sinn Féin also opposed the lifting of the EU arms embargo on Syria at the end of May 2013. We opposed it because we felt that flooding the country with more weapons of destruction would only cause more violence and bloodshed and not bring peace. Our political analysis has, unfortunately, stood the test of time and was correct.

So let us be clear: Sinn Féin stands in complete opposition to this war. We oppose all forms of imperialism. The aerial bombardments in Syria need to stop, as do the shootings, the mortar attacks and the tank shelling. This includes the Syrian and Russian bombardment of Aleppo and the Turkish and NATO aerial bombing of other areas of Syria, including Turkey's invasion of Syria. I cautiously welcome the pause in the bombing in Aleppo and the opening of exit corridors, though we have information today that it has broken down. While this brief respite is welcome, I echo the UN's frustration that aid has not been allowed into besieged areas. The UN has rightly stated that unilateral ceasefires after long sieges can only be truly helpful if they are combined with humanitarian access for those who do not want to leave.

I also want to strongly condemn the intensification of Turkey's military attacks and bombardment of Kurdish areas in northern Syria. Turkish jets and artillery have been bombarding areas north of Aleppo since Wednesday in a blatant attempt to attack and provoke Kurdish forces and civilians. These are the same Kurdish forces who took on and bravely fought Daesh and liberated vast areas that Daesh and its offshoots had occupied. Rather strangely, I have not heard a single EU member state condemn Turkey's attacks on these areas or on Kurdish fighters, which continue as we speak. It seems the second biggest army in NATO is beyond criticism from European capitals and European leaders.

I echo the UN's condemnation of the complete lack of adherence to the norms of international law by the warring parties in Syria. Syrians, like people all over the world, have a right to live in peace free from fear, attack, foreign mercenaries and outside interference. They also have a right to democracy and the highest standards of human rights. The real and only way to stop the conflict is through inclusive dialogue and round-table peace talks that have the potential and credibility to lead to a real peace process. World leaders need to use their influence and diplomacy to secure a ceasefire and bring all sides in this civil war to the table for discussions on a peace process with credible outcomes. World leaders should be rational and smart enough to know their bombs will not bring peace to Syria. They cannot bomb Syria into peace. Their military interventions will not help establish democracy and respect for human rights in the country. Darkness cannot drive out darkness - only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate - only love can do that. They were the words of Martin Luther King.

The images and videos that we have all seen are truly disturbing and heartbreaking. Two of the most powerful images have been of Omran Daqneesh and Alan Kurdi. Omran, a five year old boy from Aleppo, was photographed sitting in an ambulance, shocked and bleeding after an air strike from Syrian or Russian planes hit his family home. His ten-year old brother died from injuries he sustained in this brutal attack. It deeply showed the human price of this brutal war. There are many more like him stuck in Syria today, scared, frightened and praying for an end to this brutal war that has robbed them of their childhood.

Alan Kurdi was a three-year old Syrian Kurd who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea as he tried to escape this same violence and destruction and find sanctuary in Europe. The image of his lifeless body, washed up on the beach, brought immediate mass outpourings of grief and shame in Europe, but how has the EU handled the refugee situation since that awful death? Many of the countries who have been most opposed to taking in refugees, who have put up fences and razor wire, are the same countries who are directly involved in this war. Some are the main providers of weapons and are making huge profits from providing this death and destruction. That is the shame of Europe. We know that when there are huge increases in aerial bombardments there will be huge increases in those fleeing these areas and seeking protection in Europe. The countries that have supplied the weapons that have forced these people to flee are the same ones telling them they are not welcome and to go back to their destroyed country.

Ireland should be a leader in its response to the refugee situation. We should be a leader in assisting the humanitarian response in Syria and neighbouring countries but we should also be opening our country to the vulnerable and desperate refugees that are fleeing Syria.

Only 69 Syrians have come to Ireland from Greece, and no Syrians have arrived here from Italy. That is embarrassing, shameful and wrong. I believe we can do more. We have the support of the vast majority of Irish people, but they want to know how we will manage these refugees. It is important that we explain to the people how we will do that. We have had significant amounts of incredibly generous support from the Irish public to house and support refugees. The Government needs to be up-front about how it is responding to the refugee crisis, and involving communities and NGOs, not hiding refugees in hotels or direct provision centres on the outskirts of towns.

Ireland has a part to play in increasing international pressure to end the war, but we also have humanitarian and moral responsibilities to be a leader in responding to the refugee crisis, and this is were we can make a real difference.

In September 2015, the Government committed to taking a total of 4,000 displaced persons by way of resettlement, particularly from Lebanon, and relocation from the front-line states, Greece and Italy, through the Irish Refugee Protection Programme, IRPP, and yet by the end of September 2016 only 486 refugees have been resettled so far and only 69 had been relocated. I asked today for a note of explanation from the Minister because people are asking us what is the problem. The system is broken but we cannot explain. I have listened to Ministers and others try to explain, but we are not getting those answers.

The International Organization for Migration, IOM, has reported that the number of refugees arriving in Europe has fallen sharply this year but routes have grown more deadly. From January to the end of September 3,501 refugees died trying to enter Europe. That is nearly a 20% increase on the same period last year.

Four adults and a child were found inside a container in Rosslare port on Sunday night. Thankfully, it is reported that they are healthy and are not seriously harmed from their harrowing journey. They are apparently Kurds from Iraq who were fleeing persecution and have requested asylum in Ireland. This shows the stark and urgent need to implement safe and legal routes for refugees to get protection in Ireland. Sadly, under the Dublin regulations, they probably will not be allowed stay in Ireland. The asylum system is broken and must be urgently fixed. That is the note I will end on in relation to Syria - our system for helping many of those who are fleeing the conflict in Syria is broken and we need to fix it.

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