Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Sanctions allow governments and international organisations such as the EU to appear to be doing something about war at times. At the end of the day, however, sanctions are a foreign policy tool which do not take account of the humanitarian needs of the citizens affected by war. It is obvious that the sanctions imposed on Syria have not had the intended effect on the Assad regime. It is the people who are suffering, not Assad. Does the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade believe it is time we abandoned the notion of sanctions on Syria?

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