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

We all agree that this is one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent times. From the debate, we all agree that we are appalled at the savage aerial bombardment of eastern Aleppo by the Syrian and Russian armies and the bombing of Kurdish areas in northern Syria by the Turkish army. We all agree that all sides urgently need to establish a ceasefire and use their influence to broker a deal to end the conflict. We would all like to see another attempt being made to establish humanitarian corridors. Does the Minister know whether another attempt will be made to establish them? I listened to what he said about the UN convention and the communiqué, but I wonder whether initiatives are coming from other like-minded countries throughout the world which have been involved in peacekeeping and peace building. Have we had discussions with any of them on this issue? This is about trying to think outside the box. Is there a unique role we could play as a people and an independent actor, aside from the refugee support we are giving to the Syrian people? Is there anything the Minister believes we could do on top of working in the European Union and the United Nations?

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