Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

The Minister will not get away with this one and his answer has been wholly unacceptable. Irish people are absolutely outraged at a country that is infamous for the subjugation of women being given a position on this body. The Minister has history in this as he told us last year that he was delighted to go to Saudi Arabia to strengthen our economic, political and cultural ties with this "key" and "priority" market. It would appear from the Minister's response that markets are more important than human rights. There was no precedent in Belgium's case, and it is a small country that was able to acknowledge how it voted. The Minister's remarks today tally with those of the Taoiseach when he spoke of this State applying "moderation" in the Gulf.

It is a matter of public record that Saudi Arabia has committed war crimes in Yemen, where it has dropped cluster bombs. Some 4 million Yemeni women and children are in a state of malnutrition. Saudi Arabia is a country in which there are public beheadings and floggings for crimes such as blasphemy or losing the faith. It funnels billions to ISIS. People have a right to know and the truth will out on this matter, sooner or later. The Minister might as well come clean. What way did Ireland vote?

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