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

I accept they are not primarily roles for the Irish Government but would the Minister agree that this initiative by ETA is a unique opportunity that must not be squandered? Does the Minister see a leadership or important interventionist role for the Irish Government in this matter? Will the Irish Government appeal to the Spanish and French Governments to demonstrate a more positive approach in their response to these developments, and as I said, for the Spanish Government to adopt a different approach to those Basque politically motivated prisoners? I again ask whether the Minister sees a positive intervention role for Ireland. Many Irish politicians have tried to lend their weight to bringing about a process and up until now, the Spanish Government has been reluctant to get involved in this initiative. On the back of the positive developments at the weekend, is there not something more the Government could be doing?

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