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

We regularly review this issue. It might be helpful to outline why it is a difficult question to answer. In December 1948, the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide described genocide as carrying out acts intended "to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group". The dispute about whether these events were genocide centres on the question of premeditation - on the degree to which the killings were orchestrated. Some histories believe that in this case they were but there are many who offer the other argument also. The 1948 UN Convention sets out a clear definition of genocide and the legal process to be followed if disputes arise. There has been no ruling in regard to this matter by an international court and neither the EU nor the UN has recognised these events as genocide. In the absence of such a ruling, the Government does not feel Ireland is in a position to determine whether these events were genocide.

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