Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Earlier I referred to the efforts made on the part of the United Nations to renew political negotiations based on the 2012 Geneva communiqué. This is something that was discussed at length last week with my foreign affairs colleagues and colleagues on the margins of the meeting. However, in the first instance, we need to do all we can to bring about an end to the hostilities and the conflict. That is why it is important that every effort be made to ensure a cessation. The pause we saw over the weekend, described in some reports as a humanitarian pause, needs to be extended. We need to allow humanitarian aid to enter the city of Aleppo in order that it can be administered to those most in need of it. That is why the bombing of the UN convoy a few weeks ago was an act of barbarism. The 13.5 million people who remain in Syria are in need of critical humanitarian assistance. Our sum of €62 million has gone directly towards providing aid in the region. It is channelled through a range of NGOs and support organisations, the United Nations, the International Red Cross and the Red Crescent. We will continue to monitor the situation closely. I am sure the generosity of the Irish people is such that further aid will be forthcoming in the event of it being required.

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