Results 3,601-3,620 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

EU Treaty. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Following its signature in Lisbon on 13 December 2007, member states are expected to ratify the reform treaty by 1 January 2009. The Attorney General has advised that the legal effects of the reform treaty require amendment of the Constitution to enable ratification by Ireland. Under the Referendum Act, in the case of a constitutional referendum, the referendum commission can be established...

EU Treaty. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: No earlier.

EU Treaty. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Did I say "later"?

EU Treaty. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I do not agree with the Deputy that the Government has been in some way lethargic. The reform treaty was only signed on 13 December. We have to prepare legislation which is currently with the Attorney General's office. The referendum commission will not be able to be up and running any earlier than the day the Bill is published. The normal course is that after the Bill is published the...

EU Treaty. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The composition of the commission is a matter for the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. There are a number of members who, by legislation, have to be on the commission. It will be the job of the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government to propose a chairperson who would normally be a High Court judge. We have already received very strong advice...

EU Treaty. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: No. The issue of the Attorney General's advice to the Government is always confidential.

Foreign Conflicts. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 139 together. After several years of deepening crisis, there have been clear signs of a significant improvement in the security situation in Iraq in the past six months. There has been a marked reduction in violence in almost all areas, especially Baghdad, and in many towns and cities something approaching normal civilian life has again become...

Foreign Conflicts. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The legality or otherwise of the Iraq war has been debated many times inside and outside the House. There has been no international consensus as to whether it was legal or illegal.

Foreign Conflicts. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: We were not prepared to participate but the subsequent resolutions were put in place and, although they were not unanimously accepted originally, they are now unanimously accepted year on year. This has happened in particular at the request of the Iraqi Government, which seeks to have the continued presence of the multinational force to supplement the increasing level of Iraqi ability to...

Foreign Conflicts. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I cannot put a date on when the multinational force will leave Iraq but local security forces there have increased their capability. Ireland is a substantial distance from Iraq but we have been part of the EU effort to try to assist the Iraqis' capacity to rebuild their judicial and security systems. Last year, a significant number of Iraqi officials who have been involved in rebuilding...

Foreign Conflicts. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: It is the case that on Friday, 1 February 2008, bombs carried by two women exploded in markets in different areas of Baghdad, killing over 100 people and wounding 200 others. Apparently, these bombs were detonated by remote control, which is probably one of the most dastardly operations that has ever been carried out in my memory. We roundly condemn these bombings.

Foreign Conflicts. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Yes, they had a disability. It shows the lengths to which these people will go to try to disrupt what is a very slow peace process. Ireland's view has been made clear for many years. The issue now is to give, as soon as possible, the democratically elected Iraqi Government and the Iraqi people an opportunity to be the authors of their own destiny. Given the fact that they have continued...

Foreign Conflicts. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: What happened over the years in Iraq is a cause for reflection. However, there is now a possibility that the democratically elected government of the Iraqi people is in a position to move out of what has been a terrible period in that country's history. Of course, we should look back to see how things could perhaps have been done better. While there has been significant turmoil in...

Middle East Peace Process. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 101, 109, 111, 124, 155, 224 and 225 together. I share the concern that events on the ground in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories threaten to undermine the important political progress which has been made in recent months. I have strongly condemned the killings of Palestinian civilians in recent weeks and the continued firing of rockets from...

Middle East Peace Process. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The thorny issue of engagement with Hamas resonates with our own difficulties in engaging with people who had the Armalite in one hand and the ballot box in the other. We have had this discussion on numerous occasions since Hamas was successful at the ballot box. During my first visit to Jerusalem and Israel, the then Foreign Minister handed me the charter of Hamas and asked me to read the...

Middle East Peace Process. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I do not agree that we have handed the leading role to the United States. The fact is that the US has the greatest influence on the Israelis, so it has to be involved. Thankfully, it has been more involved in recent times than heretofore. The EU has been very active in this area. As paymasters for the humanitarian situation, we provided in the region of €1 billion to the Palestinian...

Middle East Peace Process. (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I agree with the Deputy on the issues he raised in regard to the increasing and deepening of the settlements. We were surprised but welcomed President Bush's condemnation of the settlements and his clear indication that the US was of the view that they should not continue. If a two-state solution is ultimately to be found, these creeping increases in settlements will leave the issue of...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 114 together. In December 2007, the General Affairs and External Relations Council adopted Conclusions reaffirming the EU's commitment to long-term support for Afghanistan. The goal, in cooperation with the Afghan government, remains to extend stable and legitimate government and the rule of law to all parts of Afghanistan. It is of course also...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 110 together. The situation in Darfur remains dire, and the suffering of its people continues unabated, and the fracturing of the main rebel groups over the past year makes the pursuit of peace even more difficult. The peace talks on Darfur which the UN and African Union are mediating represent a vital window of opportunity to bring about a lasting...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (6 Feb 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Accession negotiations opened with Turkey in October 2005. Under the terms of the agreed negotiating framework, these negotiations are an open-ended process, the outcome of which cannot be guaranteed beforehand. The negotiating framework addresses the European Union's expectations of Turkey with regard to advancing reforms in human rights and the protection of minorities. Turkey's progress...