Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Lessons have been learned from the sanctions regime in Iraq. I do not disagree with the Deputy on that. The sanctions against Syria are much more targeted than that but I reiterate the idea that we would send a signal by removing sanctions now, effectively saying that we accept that the Assad regime should not be targeted in any way politically, would give the wrong signal in the context of the negotiated solution we are looking for in the Geneva process.

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