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

The World Health Organization, WHO, has stated that at least 174 people have been killed and 758 injured in the battle for control of the Libyan capital. Many of us would see Libya as a failed state. Armed militias seem to control the country. The Tánaiste stated that Ireland supports the idea of an inclusive process but that seems less and less likely as events move on. We have seen that General Haftar believes there is a military solution. Part of the difficulty is that we have different states supporting the aim of a military solution. Libya is one more example of disastrous NATO military intervention alongside Iraq and Afghanistan.

My concern is that the next EU budget is set to provide €13 billion for military spending. This will be the first time that military spending will be in the EU budget. Using public money to fund arms companies and spending more on military projects will not increase Europe's security. Instead it clears the way for more arms exports to fuel conflicts around the world such as the conflict in Libya. Will the Tánaiste call on international actors, including EU members, to stop fuelling this conflict and instead use their influence to ensure there is an immediate cease fire and a political resolution found for Libya?

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