Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

The context of the meeting, for all Deputies, related very much to Northern Ireland, the Brexit issue and the protocol, and their commitment to underpinning the Good Friday Agreement and making sure that the United Kingdom gets an understanding from us and also from politicians in Northern Ireland as to the issues relating to the protocol itself. We never lose the need to continue to raise those issues.

Deputy Brendan Smith raised the issue concerned the undocumented Irish in the United States. We have been close previously to getting a resolution to that issue, falling short by just one vote on one occasion. We will continue to pursue that because it is very difficult for those who are undocumented.

I agree 100% with Deputy Haughey in regard to pressing our case on Capitol Hill and the need to continue to do so, because others also press their case and we need to keep the Irish perspective on these issues to the forefront of legislators’ minds on Capitol Hill and those of American representatives on both sides of the aisle, as well as that of the US President. I concur with the Deputy regarding the fulsome praise he gave to the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, on her intentions to retire from politics. She has been a great friend of Ireland and has been steadfast, loyal and supportive of the Irish cause on Capitol Hill. She has also been very influential on the protocol issue and on trade issues more generally, as the delegation was also.

Turning to Deputy Bacik's questions, we did not discuss in great detail the human rights situation in Iran, although we had a general discussion about the global situation. On the issue of the embassy in Tehran, I would advise some caution. We might need to have a debate in the House about diplomacy more generally and what we mean by it. Diplomacy is not an endorsement of a regime. If we were to base policy on whatever transpires in a given country at a given time, we might end up ending diplomatic relations on a number of fronts. I think that perhaps we need to give a bit more thought and reflection on the purpose of opening diplomatic channels. In the context of our broader understanding of the world and of how the world works, our diplomatic network is very important and gives us insights into what is happening in various societies across the globe, as well as serving the needs of Irish citizens in different locations around the world through consular services and so on. There is an issue we need to examine and I would respectfully put that forward as an issue meriting more reflection and debate.

To respond to Deputy Boyd Barrett, we do raise human rights issues in respect of Palestine. We have been very forthright-----

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