Seán Canney (Galway East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to speak on this emotional subject. It is important that we reflect on the violence we have seen on our television screens over the past number of weeks. I condemn violence from anybody. A situation where innocent children, men and women are being killed is not the way to do business, no matter the cause. We have seen this situation recur. It is important for us to reflect on the fact that this country has had a lot of struggles and death. Many innocent people have been killed. However, we have got to a stage, through consensus, where we understand that we must respect one another and live together. We must make sure that violence does not return to our country.

Our experience and position as a member of the UN Security Council make it our responsibility to lead efforts to find lasting solutions to conflict. We can do that. Everybody in the House and country would stand with the Minister and Government in trying to lead efforts to provide a peaceful solution. It is not easy. The allies we need are the UN, the European Union and the United States. The whole motivation behind any action is to achieve a lasting peace that will allow people to live together and respect one another.

There is an opportunity to do this now. A ceasefire is in place. The next step will be delivering humanitarian aid to the people who have suffered so much over the past number of weeks. The third step will be to get meaningful negotiations in place. The first item on the agenda must be respect for fellow human beings. We are not here for any reason other than to live together.

The situation also reminds us that the Irish troops who work in UN peacekeeping roles all over the world need to be commended. They have kept peace in places across the world and we do not even think about it. It is only when we see violence that we realise the destruction it causes and how horrific it can be to watch people suffering. It is important that Ireland takes advantage of the privileged position it is in and the respect we have across the world as a result of our UN peacekeeping missions. We must use all that influence across the globe to try to get consensus on achieving peace.

When there is strife in any part of the world and people are dislodged from their homes, we must look in the mirror and ask ourselves if we have treated the asylum seekers who have come to this country fairly. Many of them have come here as a result of war in their home countries. They have been discommoded, taken out of their countries and dispersed to the four corners of the earth. We must look at the direct provision centres in this country and how we have treated asylum seekers who have come here. I am not proud of what is going on in modern Ireland. We must find a better way of dealing with asylum seekers.

I offer my support to the Minister in everything he does. I know he will act genuinely to ensure we reach a global consensus on this difficult issue. I hope we will see peace return, and a lasting peace at that.

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