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

I thank Deputies Wallace and Daly for bringing this motion forward. To our collective shame it is a long time since we had a debate on Syria in this Chamber and, unfortunately, the conflict has largely fallen off the international news agenda.

Sinn Féin has tabled an amendment to this motion not to score political points but because I did not feel the original motion went far enough to describe the humanitarian consequences of the sanctions and further issues surrounding the war. I tabled this Sinn Féin amendment to detail further the horrific and graphic nature of the Syrian conflict and to outline some concrete steps that need to be taken. Maybe I am being optimistic but I hope we can get cross-party support for our amendment and I urge Deputies to read our amendment. There is the genesis there of an idea or pathway to move away from conflict to a peaceful resolution.

Syria represents one of the worst humanitarian disasters in recent times. We know that approximately 500,000 have been killed in the conflict and countless numbers have been injured. An estimated 8 million people are displaced inside Syria and there are 4.5 million refugees beyond Syrian borders. From the very outset of the war Sinn Féin condemned the brutal reaction of the Syrian Government to democratic protests, the descent into all-out war, and the foreign interference which has bankrolled armed groups and elongated the conflict. We have spoken out against Turkey and Saudi Arabia's funding, arming, training and support of extremist jihadist groups in Syria. We have spoken out against Russia and Iran's military support of the Syrian army, and called on them to instead use their influence to broker a ceasefire and support a peaceful resolution of the conflict. We have also strongly criticised the USA, Britain, Israel and France and their decision to intervene militarily, directly and indirectly, in that war. We have also echoed the UN's abhorrence at the complete lack of adherence to the norms of international law by all the warring parties in Syria. Such crimes include the targeting of schools and hospitals, crippling sieges of civilian areas, and the use of chemical weapons. All these war crimes must be condemned without reservation, but words of condemnation are empty without action. All allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity must be independently investigated and those accused brought before independent and neutral courts. Ireland should play a positive and more meaningful role in these investigations, bringing the suspected war criminals to the International Criminal Court.

Syrians, like people all over the world, have a right to live in peace, free from fear, attack and hunger, free to practice their faith, and free to live in their own land. They also have a right to democracy and the highest standards of human rights. There can be no military solution to this conflict. The only way to stop the conflict is through inclusive dialogue and round-table peace talks that have the potential and credibility to lead to a real and lasting peace process.

World leaders need to use their considerable clout in a diplomatic offensive to secure a ceasefire and bring all sides to the table for discussions on a peace process with credible outcomes. Meaningful dialogue involving all sections of Syrian society must be established to address all of the key issues facing the citizens of Syria. As part of these talks, representatives of the de facto autonomous region of Rojava should be given their own seat at the negotiating table. They are a distinct entity and their voice must be heard and listened to. The EU's strategy towards Syria has added to the conflict and been completely counterproductive. Sinn Féin opposed the lifting of the EU arms embargo on Syria at the end of May 2013. We opposed it because we felt that flooding the country with more weapons would encourage and facilitate more violence and bloodshed and not bring about the end of the conflict. Our political analysis then was, unfortunately, correct. Such a move has also put Irish soldiers serving on the UN peacekeeping mission to the Golan Heights in greater danger. I expressed my concern that, as soldiers from an EU member state, they might be targeted because of the EU's lifting of its weapons embargo. There should be a total and complete international arms embargo on Syria.

Another element of the EU's response has been sanctions on Syria. I have no problem with targeted sanctions against high-level individuals and decision-makers who have committed or been involved in war crimes and crimes against humanity. I am, however, concerned about broad sanctions that result in humanitarian problems and issues for innocent citizens. We saw how sanctions supposedly against Saddam Hussein caused a humanitarian crisis and massive hardship for innocent civilians in Iraq in the early 1990s. Last year, the United Nations' Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, ESCWA, published a report, entitled Syria at War: Five Years On, which has detailed the humanitarian consequences of sanctions that the USA and EU have placed on Syria. According to this report, the loss of civilian infrastructure due to the war, such as power stations, hospitals, water and fuel installations in Syria, has fuelled the need for the very types of investment and services, technology and dual use goods that are subject to such sanctions. The report also states that even though these sanctions provide exemptions for the export of humanitarian goods, the procedures involved can be opaque, unpredictable and time consuming, and frequently require costly legal advice and action. This hinders the ability to respond fully to the humanitarian crisis. The sanctions are so broad that even where it is possible to deliver humanitarian aid on the ground, sending funds and goods to Syria without violating sanctions or the regulations of neighbouring countries can be fraught with difficulty. It is time consuming at a time when a speedy response is often needed. Therefore, US and EU sanctions that are unfit for purpose, harm civilians and hinder humanitarian aid need to be lifted immediately.

The original motion condemned the attack on the civilian convoy evacuating people from the besieged towns of al-Fu'ah and Kafriya. I too condemn this horrific attack which killed 126 innocent civilians, including 68 children. It was a war crime. They were mainly Shia Muslims and they were killed by Islamist and jihadi rebels. I understand Deputies Wallace and Daly have met some of the victims of this attack, including families whose children were kidnapped in the attack. I support their call for their release and the release of all others who have been kidnapped in the conflict.

I welcome the fact that the Irish Government has continued to send aid to Syria and to support humanitarian efforts there and in neighbouring countries. We must, however, increase the number of refugees whom we are relocating and resettling in Ireland. We should be a leader in the response to the refugee crisis and in assisting the humanitarian response in Syria and neighbouring countries, but we should be more responsive and welcoming to the vulnerable and desperate refugees who are fleeing Syria.

The ongoing conflict in Syria has created one of the worst humanitarian crises in modern times and Ireland, as a priority, must assist efforts to end the conflict, prosecute those suspected of committing war crimes, and tackle the huge humanitarian crisis that this brutal conflict continues to cause people in Syria.

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