Mattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Ar an gcéad dul síos, I congratulate and thank the Ceann Comhairle for asking for a debate on this issue to be arranged. This evening's short debate gives us an opportunity to recognise what happened in Srebrenica 22 years ago. I think that is a noble situation. In 2004, a unanimous ruling of the appeals chamber of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, located in The Hague, ruled that the massacre of the enclave's male inhabitants constituted genocide, which is a crime under international law. This ruling was upheld by the International Court of Justice in 2007. The forcible transfer and abuse of between 25,000 and 30,000 Bosniak women, children and elderly people which accompanied the massacre was found to constitute genocide when accompanied with the killings and separation of the men.

In 2005, the then Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, described the mass murder at Srebrenica as the worst crime on European soil since the Second World War. We all know those remarks from that gentleman. We all saw on our televisions the horrors that went on. We thought we did not want to see them ever again but we are seeing them at present. I spent almost three years trying to get a debate in this House on the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. When the Minister, Deputy Flanagan, served as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, he met Deputy Grealish and me briefly to discuss the matter and I thank him for that. It was very appropriate that on the evening of Holy Thursday this year, just before Easter, this issue happened to be selected for limited debate as a Topical Issue. I sincerely thank the Ceann Comhairle for allowing Deputies Grealish, O'Keeffe and me to raise this subject over two time slots.

These massacres are going on. Thankfully, I was able to go to Lebanon three and a half years ago. I met many refugees, including old women and young children. There was no sign of the men. We have seen what has been going on since then. There has been no debate in this Parliament or in many other parliaments about the atrocities that are going on at this time. We have all the talk and we all attack President Trump, but his predecessor allowed all the bombings and the removal of all the dictators. There was a lot of hoo-ha about it, but these places are less stable now. Since those invasions, it has been a free-for-all. Minority Muslims, Yazidis and other tribes are being persecuted and obliterated. There are genocides and all kinds of issues. We are seeing the last days of Mosul - God help us - and what is going on there. I heard an excellent report on it on the radio on Saturday morning. This is going on under our watch as well. We are standing idly by. Now we have the results of it. Thousands of people are fleeing from Libya, Syria and elsewhere. We are having a short debate tomorrow about the gallant efforts of our Naval Service and the possibility of extending its powers in the rescue of so many people who are fleeing from horrors to safety. What must the horror be like to take the risk of losing their lives at sea by getting on these boats?

While we are consumed here talking about Brexit and other issues, we are not addressing the causes of the issues I am talking about, which will have long-term implications. It is quite frightening. We thought the Srebrenica massacre was horrific in 2004. Unfortunately, this is happening again, especially in the Middle East. We have certain environments and certain engagements. It is wonderful to have our peacekeepers and our Naval Service personnel doing what they are doing. We need to look at the real causes of these problems. We need to have a proper and meaningful debate about them in this Chamber. We should not wait until whoever is the Ceann Comhairle in 22 years' time decides to mark the anniversary of what is happening in real life now.

We need to engage in a more focused way with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade. I note the presence in the Chamber of his predecessor, Deputy Flanagan, who met us and engaged with us. We need the current Minister to engage and talk. A proper debate is needed in this Parliament. It should not be hush-hush. When we are praising the Naval Service, we should not be hiding or suggesting that we have done our bit because we have not. We need to focus on problems like the migration of these people and what is left after them. The fear, terror, destruction, genocide and rape - God knows what else is being perpetrated on those unfortunate people - is happening under our watch now, in our lifetimes. We must not be afraid to debate these issues. We must have debates on them.

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