Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Cuba receives a bad press on the basis of its relationship with the United States. However, on humanitarian issues, it is often the first country to become involved when countries experience great humanitarian need. It never receives any recognition for this. Cuba was the first country to send humanitarian aid to Sierra Leone and Haiti. It also does much work training young men and women from the developing world as doctors and nurses. It played a key role in the Columbian peace process and was to the fore in supporting it and ensuring it could happen. It is facilitating the ongoing and necessary negotiations with other groups that have not bought into the peace process. It is positive that Ireland is moving on this issue and important that the agreement is ratified as soon as possible.

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