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Results 43,341-43,360 of 51,305 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: And Saudi Arabia and others. It is extremely frustrating that this has not happened because it undermines confidence among Palestinians and, in particular, among moderate Palestinian and Arab opinion that people are serious about a resolution. That is a significant by-product of all of this, apart altogether from the imperative of the humanitarian situation and the need to get...

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: The EU is a very significant donor to the Middle East.

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: At the conference at Sharm el-Sheikh almost two years ago huge volumes of aid were promised for Gaza which have not materialised because of the obstacles put in the way of the aid. To be fair, the United States has been a significant donor to the Palestinian Authority and to the establishment of the authority's mechanisms and systems of government. The Deputy is correct in the sense that...

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: So does the EU. We are working together in the context of the Quartet along with Russia and others to try to effect a multilateral solution.

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: I accept that there has been a clear lack of continuity in the various talks which have taken place throughout the years. We have had this discussion before. The situation of such a secretariat or where it would be located would require the agreement of both parties but it would represent an important value-added contribution to the process. Previously, it has been explained to me that the...

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: Yes.

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 8, 18, 21, 25, 29, 40, 117 and 124 together. I welcome the release of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi from her arbitrary house arrest. Aung San Suu Kyi has been detained, in one form or another, by the Burmese authorities since leading her political party, the National League for Democracy, to victory in the 1990 elections. During that time, she has come to symbolise...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: Ireland has been particularly strong in supporting Burma at home and internationally, and I commend those who have been supportive of the NLD and Aung San Suu Kyi in particular, including Mr. Kilgallen and others who have been effective in keeping the issue alive in Irish public opinion. We have raised the issue of Burma and acted bilaterally with its neighbours, and we believe they can play...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: -----and farcical. It remains to be seen what happens in the aftermath of the release of Aung San Suu Kyi. I have covered that in my reply.

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: Absolutely. We have taken a leading role in keeping the issue of Burma alive in international forums as well as domestically. We were clear in our opposition to the elections and also to the constitutional provisions that were designed by the military regime to maintain its stranglehold on Burmese political life. The military were allocated 25% of the seats in Parliament, and it was...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: Human rights-related concerns are the subject of a dedicated regular bilateral dialogue with the Colombian Government, which was launched in April 2008. The third session of this dialogue took place in Bogotá in May 2010 and the next round of discussions is expected to take place in the first half of 2011. Following the inauguration of Juan Manuel Santos as President of Colombia in August,...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: This matter was raised during the discussion of Priority Question No. 1. Front Line and the International Office for Human Rights Action in Colombia informed us late yesterday of the arrest of Mrs. Carolina Rubio Esguerra by the Colombian criminal investigation unit on her return to Colombia following here visit to Brussels, which is of concern. During her visit to Brussels she had attended...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: I appreciate that. It is important that multinationals and particularly European multinationals would conform to the ILO provisions. We will certainly continue to raise that issue with the European Union in the context of the agreement, which still needs to go through a ratification process through the European Parliament and so forth. As I said in an earlier reply, the European Union...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: We are in agreement that it is all about delivery. From a European perspective it is about vigilant monitoring of the situation there. There is always a need for balance and this is the challenge. One could do nothing and things would not progress at all, but on the other hand the conclusion of a trade agreement can provide leverage and a catalyst to ensure continued progress. It is...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: I am aware of and share the deep concern that has been expressed at the manner in which human rights defenders, including trade union activists have been treated in Colombia. Every death is a tragedy. Despite the Colombian Government's efforts and some progress achieved, the Colombian state institutions have not yet been able to fully address the issue of violence against human rights...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: I welcome the visit by Deputies Higgins, Kitt, Breen and Senator Daly to Colombia. I applaud Deputy Higgins on that initiative. It is important that Oireachtas representatives visit such locations to see and hear at first hand from a variety of different perspectives. This adds value to our consideration of the situation. I agree with the basic points made by Deputy Higgins in regard to...

Human Rights Issues (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: I do not accept that human rights are residual. The Deputy's point is well made. I, too, have made the point that the agreement represents an opportunity to up-front the human rights dimension and to get greater delivery. The agreement includes a number of binding commitments to implement core labour environmental conventions. It also foresees a mechanism for the monitoring of the...

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: The north-south peace process in Sudan is at a critical juncture as the country prepares for a referendum on self-determination for the south and a separate referendum on the status of the district of Abyei on 9 January 2011. The referenda are envisaged by the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, CPA, which brought an end to the north-south conflict in Sudan. Ireland and the EU believe that...

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: There has been significant international engagement with this issue for some time, particularly at the UN, which is leading the efforts to co-ordinate works on the ground. The US has been very involved as well through President Obama's special envoy whom we met some time back. He gave us a good appraisal of the situation, albeit that was more than 12 months ago. The EU is concerned about...

Foreign Conflicts (18 Nov 2010)

Micheál Martin: At the UN General Assembly.

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