Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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30. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has met his Syrian and Russian counterparts to discuss the atrocities in Aleppo; if he has also met American, British and other EU Foreign Ministers on moves to end the Syrian carnage; his plans to meet with them; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31702/16]

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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I listened to the Minister's earlier replies to colleagues in the Chamber on the carnage in Syria which has taken perhaps 500,000 lives at this stage and which has displaced millions of Syrian people. The Minister said he had been in contact with ambassadors and others. He said Ireland was ready to play a positive role, and I think he meant a very strongly positive role, in the resolution of the conflict and the bringing about of an immediate and final ceasefire. Has the Minister been involved with the International Syria Support Group and has he organised any meetings with the Syrian Foreign Minister, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, and with the representatives of the other non-Syrian forces which are combatants in that country?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I reiterate my total condemnation of the bombardment of Aleppo. The attacks by the Assad regime and its allies, including Russia, against eastern Aleppo are clearly disproportionate and unacceptable. The deliberate targeting of hospitals, medical personnel, schools and essential infrastructure and the widespread civilian casualties may, indeed, amount to war crimes. Our concerns have been conveyed in the clearest possible terms to the Russian authorities. Ireland does not recognise the legitimacy of the 2014 Syrian presidential elections and has ceased all diplomatic or political contacts with the Assad regime.

My EU colleagues and I spoke on Monday, 17 October with the UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura and underlined our continued and strong support for his efforts to stem the destruction of Syria and its people. I met with US Secretary of State John Kerry and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during my recent visit to the United Nations in New York. I discussed the crisis in Syria with them and with other international partners in a range of bilateral meetings. I continue to press for accountability, both to provide the victims with the hope of redress and in the hope that it will deter those involved from even worse atrocities in the area. This has been central to our interventions at the UN in New York and Geneva and of my own interventions and statements at the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg last week. Together with our EU partners, Ireland remains engaged through the European Union in the International Syria Support Group. We will continue to support efforts to find a political resolution to the unacceptable level of conflict and hostilities in Aleppo and Syria generally.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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The Minister said the attacks may, indeed, amount to war crimes.

Why would the Minister preface his remarks with words like "maybe"? These are war crimes. The involvement of Russia, presumably in pursuit of its strategic interests, has enabled the Assad regime to continue making war on its own people. Assad said there would be no more humanitarian causes. What is the attitude of the Minister to that?

I think the Minister was in the Chamber with me when we heard the news about Srebrenica. The situation in Aleppo has also been compared to Guernica. Some 250,000 people are suffering in east Aleppo. It is a total outrage and a war crime.

What is the Minister going to do about it? For example, has he met the representatives of the Saudi Arabian Government? If one tracks the role of Al-Nusra, fascist groups like ISIS and other groups in Syria and Iraq, ultimately the trail always leads back to Saudi Arabia. The Minister mentioned that he had met an Egyptian counterpart with people in the Arab League. We seem to be almost like helpless, bewildered bystanders. We need to take action. Along with his colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality, I ask the Minister to tell us where the refugees this country promised to bring to security and safety are. People are fleeing the country.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I have raised this issue, along with the people to whom I made a specific reference earlier, with the incoming secretary general of the Arab League. I also raised the issue directly in the context of my conversations with Foreign Minister Shoukry of Egypt, an influential interlocutor in the region.

Ireland, together with our European partners, made it clear in a statement on 4 June 2014 that we do not accept the legitimacy of the presidential election in Syria. It was held under a flawed electoral law which imposed identification requirements, which deprived most Syrians living in areas under opposition control of their ability to cast votes. The facts call into to question the legitimacy of the Assad regime and its authority to invite military support from other states. I made that position clear in a recent meeting I held with the representative of Russia in Ireland, the Russian ambassador. I will continue to amplify the points that have been raised in the House on numerous occasions.

Tommy Broughan (Dublin Bay North, Independent)
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Surely every time the Minister speaks he should be calling for a cessation of the savage attacks on the people of Aleppo and other parts of Syria. Has the Minister spoken to the representatives from the United States, the ambassador and the Secretary of State, and the UK? They are countries that supply Saudi Arabia with large amounts of modern weaponry which then end up on the outskirts of the streets of Aleppo. Part of the problem is that countries such as the US, the UK, Iran, Turkey and Russia and other foreign jurisdictions are interfering in the conflict.

The Minister correctly said that the solution has to be led from Syria by Syrian people. The situation requires a more urgent response and whatever leadership we can give from this small country to try to bring about a resolution would be welcome. Will the Minister meet representatives of the Syrian Christian and Islamic churches who, I understand, are coming to this country next month?

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I agree that every effort must be made by the international community to confront the brutality and terrorism of Daesh. As the Deputy is aware, the situation in Syria is very complex. I am of the view that the only solution must be political rather than military. I discussed the matter with the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, recently in New York and I hope to have a further opportunity over the next few days to engage further with him.

Refugees have been the subject of debate with my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality. We agreed to accept 4,000 asylum seekers from the region. We have now resettled 500 under the Irish refugee protection programme. Our target is 520 by the end of this year. All of these people have come from Lebanon.

On relocation, I acknowledge that progress has been slow, but that has been the case for all of our EU colleagues. To date, a total of 69 Syrians have come to Ireland from Greece and a further 41 are due to arrive next week. It is important that we all work together across the European Union to play our part. Over the past few days, officials and representatives from the Irish Government have travelled to Greece in order to ensure that we play our part in dealing with the tragic situation of unaccompanied minors.

I wish to assure the Deputy that I will continue to take advantage of every opportunity to raise this issue. He is correct; in these matters Ireland exercises a level of influence. I will relay issues that were raised last week during the course of a debate and resolutions of the House in order that we play our part as a small, but nevertheless influential, independent neutral country.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We have made an error on Question No. 29. We should have announced that Deputies Bríd Smith, Gino Kenny and Catherine Murphy on the Egyptian issue were to be grouped.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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Apologies.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We did not announce that. If the two Deputies wants to make a statement or ask a question, I invite them to do so.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I want to ask a question. My question to the Minister concerns the status of his recent efforts to secure the release of Ibrahim Halawa. However, I heard her answer to Deputy Eamon Ryan. I want to quiz him a bit further on that answer because there is no point in him telling me again that he must Mr. Soukry on 24 September and again in New York on 2 October.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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If I told you that I did not meet him-----

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I am saying there is no point in saying that again.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Minister, contain yourself.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I want to ask the Minister specifically-----

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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If I told you that I did not meet him-----

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I did not imply that. I am sorry. The Minister misunderstands me. I am saying there is no point in him repeating the same information because I heard it already.

When the House met on 7 July, we passed an all-party motion on the question of Ibrahim Halawa and what the House might be able to do. During the debate, the Minister said more or less the same, namely, that he and his Government proactively used all tools available to them to apply the maximum pressure on the Egyptian Government at the highest levels, along with a series of engagements by phone, letter, face-to-face meetings etc., over the past two years.

The Minister mentioned that the trial has been postponed again. This is the 15th time that has happened, not the second, third, fourth or fifth. This is a very serious situation. I would like the Minister to tell me the status of the joint party resolution that we passed on 7 July, which included a request for the Minister's committee to ask the ambassador of the Republic of Egypt, her excellency, to appear before the committee, address the repeated delays in Ibrahim's trial, request her to convey to the relevant Egyptian authorities this House's concern that he should be released and finally, and not unimportantly, a proposal that a parliamentary delegation be established to visit the Egyptian Parliament and seek to arrange a visit.

The Minister told Deputy Ryan that is a matter for the House. Could he explain to me who takes responsibility in the House for such a motion and its implementation if the House does not and if the Minister is not the person who takes that responsibility?

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I am slightly confused. Am I asking the question?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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I take it you are asking Question No. 31. The Minister announces the groupings, not me. I take it that it is Question No. 31.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Am I asking that question now?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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Yes, if you want to.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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They are being grouped.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is a supplementary question.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Will I ask the question?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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You can ask what you like. It is up to yourself. It is a supplementary, really.

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Okay. I think the Minister has already answered most of my question. I will cut to the chase. The Egyptian authorities are playing mind games. They have gotten into the heads of the Minister, the Taoiseach and, most importantly, Ibrahim. An e-mail from his sister outlining his well-being is quite shocking. He is depressed, which of course he would be. He has refused any visits from embassy staff. What is going on is terrible and the Egyptian authorities are dragging the case out for their own purposes.

I want to mention two names to the Minister and I hope he can comment on them.

One name is Peter Greste. He is an Australian citizen who was released under the decree of law 140. The other is a man called Mohamed Soltan, an American citizen, who was also released under the decree of law 140. Why has Ibrahim not been released? That is my simple question.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I am very familiar with both of those cases and the details of them. As I said before, it is important to note that each and every case is somewhat different. We have considered these cases in detail and have extensively engaged in consultations on them. My focus is on our citizen and how best we can proceed to advance matters. My officials are in regular contact with the citizen in question and with the prison authorities on the matter of his health and welfare, both of which are important issues for me also. On the matter of the follow-up to the House motions, I assure the House that both myself and my officials will provide every appropriate support of the Oireachtas, including the parliamentary delegation. This was the subject matter of a conversation I had with the Egyptian ambassador.

However, it is with regret that I note that there was a form of negative reaction to the passing of the motions here in this House in some quarters in Egypt. The speaker of the Egyptian parliament, the Ceann Comhairle's counterpart, made some public remarks that were critical of the intervention on the part of the Oireachtas. This sensitivity is one of the reasons why I at all times wish to be measured and careful in my comments and utterances. My concern and priority is the health and welfare of this citizen and to ensure that the trial does take place in a way that can lead to a conclusion at the earliest opportunity. The next return date is 12 November. I wish to assure the House that my officials and I will be in contact with the authorities prior to that date in the hope that matters can be satisfactorily resolved on that occasion.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We will proceed to Question No. 32-----

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Can I not respond?

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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We cannot. Question No. 32-----

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Do I not get the same time as other people who ask questions? The Minister has said a few things there that I would like to respond to.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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No, we cannot-----

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I will not take all day. I want to take this motion seriously. It was passed in July. We are now hurtling towards November and the sixteenth time that this young man will be before a trial. I bet 50 bucks the trial will be postponed. The Minister said he is worried about the sensitivities of the Egyptian Parliament. I do not see how he is surprised by their sensitivities. They have locked up 60,000 and killed 3,000 in a counter-revolution. I believe we need to stop treating them with kid gloves. This is the impression I and everybody else get. Certainly, the family has that impression. God knows what the poor young fella thinks, languishing in a prison with 30 other people in a squashed-up cell and suffering from mental illness. I believe we have to address it. I want to bring it before the business committee next week. As far as I can see, this House passed that motion and nothing has been done. The Minister tells me that the reason is because some sensitive Ceann Comhairle in Cairo got offended. That is not good enough.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Ceann Comhairle)
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It is neither the time nor the place for me to intervene on this, but I will say that there has been a series of very positive and constructive meetings with the Egyptian ambassador. There have been attempts made on an ongoing basis, including a meeting with the Irish ambassador in Cairo, where the matter was discussed at length. We will debate it at the business committee meeting.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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We should implement our own motions.

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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I wish to add to that. I am bound by the House, as far as the House motions are concerned. The Parliament here is sovereign. Let me assure the Deputy and the House that the Egyptian Government remains in absolutely no doubt about the Irish Government's position and its determination to see the citizen released and have the trial disposed of as soon as possible.

Bríd Smith (Dublin South Central, People Before Profit Alliance)
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It is not the doubting that is the problem, it is the doing something about it.