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

I regret how this debate is being conducted because it is more about playing politics. It is important that we be upfront with the public. The Attorney General's presentation last week demonstrates that we are doing the right thing from a Government perspective. Our action involved a robust legal submission to the ICJ on the question of the UN seeking an advisory opinion. This was followed up by oral participation in the court on well-informed and well-researched legal grounds. I refer to a legal intervention that has credibility and impact.

When this debate started, on social media and everywhere else there were calls for Ireland to join, support and align itself with the South African case. This was despite the fact that Deputies were told, on numerous occasions, that countries do not join or support a case in this way, but rather legally intervene and try to use the genocide convention or identify a legal route in that can have a real impact in this context. This approach would be one that would be opposed to just simply saying something, which we could do, because it is very easy to write a press release and say we are politically joining this and doing that, but one which means nothing. There are two basic, narrow grounds possible in this regard and I have been briefed by my legal advisors on this aspect. Articles 62 and 63 make it possible for a country to potentially intervene. It makes absolute sense that we work with South Africa. The Opposition Members, however, have now suddenly turned from asking why we would not join the case to saying we should not put the whole burden on South Africa. The Opposition is really playing politics with this matter.

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