Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to address this House on the situation in Syria once again. It is beyond doubt the greatest challenge facing the international community at present. The situation continues to be a matter of gravest concern and efforts to resolve it reflect not only the challenges internal to Syria, but wider regional and global dynamics. I was horrified by the news of last week’s chemical attack in which men, women and children were indiscriminately murdered. Just yesterday, a UN Security Council resolution on investigating this incident was vetoed by Russia. This is a further clear example of the challenges faced in trying to move towards a resolution of this terrible conflict.

The attack at Khan Shaykhun underlines the need for full accountability for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Syria. Those responsible for crimes on all sides must be held accountable. We have consistently called for accountability and the referral of the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court. We will continue to work to ensure accountability is achieved.

I welcome the establishment of the international, impartial and independent mechanism on Syria. Established by the UN General Assembly last December, it will assist in the investigation and prosecution of persons responsible for the most serious crimes under international law that have been committed in the Syria. It is a small step but it is a step in the right direction. I am considering how best Ireland can support this mechanism.

I had the opportunity to discuss the situation in Syria with EU Foreign Ministers at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg last week. My EU colleagues joined me in condemning the continued widespread abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law by all parties, especially the Syrian regime. We also agreed the new EU strategy for Syria. This sets out the EU’s clear position that there can be no EU support for reconstruction in Syria until a comprehensive, genuine and inclusive political transition owned by the Syrian people is firmly under way. The Council also agreed to support the resilience of the Syrian population and Syrian society through the provision of education and job creation, as well as support for local civilian governance structures in opposition-held areas, including by working with the Syrian interim government, and working to avoid the collapse of the state administration in Syria.

Ireland will continue to make contributions to the humanitarian effort in Syria. Since 2012, Ireland has contributed €76.5 million to the crisis. Last week, the Minister of State, Deputy McHugh, attended the conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region in Brussels and we announced an additional pledge of €25 million for this year of 2017.

This is Irish Aid’s largest response to a single crisis in recent years, indicative of the level of priority we attach to this issue. In providing support to Syria, it is important not to forget the impact of the conflict on the wider region, in particular on neighbouring Jordan and Lebanon, and Irish Aid support is also disbursed in those countries.

I want to underline Ireland’s support for the UN-led Geneva peace process and commend the efforts of UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura. The Geneva process is the only way of achieving an inclusive, sustainable and peaceful resolution to the crisis in Syria. I assure Members of this House that Ireland remains wholly committed to efforts to achieving this outcome. I have no doubt we will be back in this House discussing the crisis in Syria, both the war and its humanitarian impact, on other occasions in the future. This is the sad reality of the situation in Syria as we speak. However, we must also continue to have some hope that progress can be made, even if this progress is sometimes slow and intermittent. For my part, I assure the House that I will ensure that Ireland’s voice is heard where it is most effective - in Brussels, New York and Geneva - urging progress toward peace and political transition, followed by the rebuilding of lives and livelihoods and ultimately accountability for crimes that have been committed against the people of Syria.

See this speech in context