Results 3,881-3,900 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Hostage Releases: Hostage Releases (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Government, together with our EU partners, has consistently condemned the practice of hostage-taking and kidnapping by the FARC guerrillas and other illegal armed groups in Colombia and continues to offer full support to the Colombian Government in its search for a negotiated solution to the internal armed conflict and the release of all hostages. The Government remains very seriously...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The issue of extraordinary rendition has been raised on numerous occasions in this House. As has been made repeatedly clear, the Government are completely opposed to the practice. The Government has received specific assurances from the US authorities that prisoners have not been transferred through Irish territory, nor would they be, without our permission. These assurances have been...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 102 together. It is the Government's firm view that democratic reform and national reconciliation in Burma can only be effectively achieved through a fully transparent and inclusive process. The Government deeply regrets that the opposition and ethnic minorities have been excluded from the Constitution drafting process. In this context, neither the...

Written Answers — Northern Ireland Issues: Northern Ireland Issues (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I travelled to Northern Ireland on 10 April for a series of official engagements in my capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs. I delivered a keynote address to the European Mediation Conference at the Waterfront Hall in Belfast, on the topic of "The Role of Government in Lesson Sharing and Conflict Resolution". The event, organised by Mediation Northern Ireland in conjunction with the...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I remain very concerned at the situation in Somalia. The country has been without an effective government since 1991, and despite an initial period of stability after Ethiopian troops and Transitional Federal Government (TFG) forces defeated the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) in December 2006, the situation has worsened in recent months. Fighting in Mogadishu since October has prompted...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: As the Deputy will be aware, H.E. Fernando Lugo, the presidential candidate of the multi-party coalition Patriotic Alliance for Change, was elected in the Paraguayan presidential elections on 21 April. President-elect Lugo will be inaugurated on 15 August. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 2001, Ireland has enjoyed friendly relations with Paraguay. However, while I of course...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Department detected 127 cases of suspected fraudulent passport applications in 2007. Details of these applications have been recorded on the passport database to ensure that any subsequent application made using these details is identified automatically. The Department liaises closely with An Garda Síochána in relation to suspected cases of passport fraud. The Passports Act 2008...

Written Answers — Passport Applications: Passport Applications (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) is the international body responsible for the specification of standards for international travel documents. ICAO policy requires that all passports in circulation in April 2010 will be machine readable. Ireland commenced issuing machine readable passports in 1993. ICAO has defined the technical specification for the issue of e-passports...

Written Answers — Middle East Peace Process: Middle East Peace Process (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 24, 42, 45, 54 and 111 together. I am extremely concerned about the dangerous humanitarian and security situation in Gaza. I am appalled that the civilian population continues to face the threat and the reality of violence, and I condemn in particular the killing of a woman and her four young children in an Israeli military operation in Bein Hanoun on Monday....

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: There is a keen desire in the EU to strengthen and deepen its relations with Pakistan. Ireland is strongly supportive of these efforts. Pakistan is critical for regional stability and co-operation in South Asia, as well as in the global context. Pakistan is also important for ongoing stabilisation efforts in Afghanistan and in the fight against terrorism, weapons of mass destruction,...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Ireland funded the position of Deputy to the EU Special Representative in Afghanistan from November 2005 to February 2008. This was done through payments to the budget of the Special Representative's office. Funding covered salary and allowance costs, which included elements relating to accommodation and children's allowances, as well as covering some home travel. The individual in question...

Written Answers — Offshore Exploration: Offshore Exploration (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The regime governing the exploration and exploitation of the continental shelf in international law is set down by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Under that Convention a coastal state is entitled to a continental shelf 200 nautical miles (approx. 370 km) in breadth regardless of whether its continental shelf physically extends that far, subject only to the similar...

Written Answers — EU Membership: EU Membership (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31 and 34 together. With regard to the possibility of Serbia joining the European Union at a future date, the December 2007 European Council reaffirmed that the future of the Western Balkans lies within the European Union. It considered that a stable and prosperous Serbia fully integrated into the family of European nations is important for the stability of...

Written Answers — Landing Rights: Landing Rights (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The carriage of munitions of war and weapons is prohibited under the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order, 1973, unless an exemption has been obtained from the Minister for Transport. I am advised by my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Mr Noel Dempsey T.D., that applications for exemptions for the carriage of munitions of war, weapons and...

Written Answers — Overseas Missions: Overseas Missions (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 48 together. On 17 February 2008 the Kosovo Assembly adopted a resolution which declared Kosovo's independence. At the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 18 February, EU Foreign Ministers agreed a common response to Kosovo's declaration of independence, noting the uniqueness of Kosovo's situation, arising from the conflict of the 1990s...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: Peace and stability in Iraq are vital to the welfare of the Iraqi people, and to the prospects for the wider Middle East region. The European Union is firmly committed to supporting a secure, stable, democratic, prosperous and united Iraq, with the capacity to play a constructive regional role. Since the military intervention in 2003 and the fall of Saddam Hussein, the Union has acted...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The number of posts filled in my Department in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 were 124, 66, 88, 125 and 218 respectively. These figures include staff recruited to fill existing vacancies as well as newly created posts at the Headquarters of the Department, including in Irish Aid, the Government's programme of assistance to developing countries and the Passport Offices in Dublin, Balbriggan...

Written Answers — Exploration Policy: Exploration Policy (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The Government has been a consistently strong supporter of the right to self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara. I believe that Ireland's firm support for this principle is well-known and appreciated by the Saharawi people and their representatives. The Western Sahara is at present a Non-Self-Governing Territory. Any exploration and exploitation activities that proceed in...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established by UN Security Council Resolution 827 on 25 May 1993. The aim of the ICTY was to respond effectively to the serious violations of international humanitarian law committed in the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1991. Since the inception of the ICTY, it has indicted 161 persons for serious violations...

Written Answers — Diplomatic Representation: Diplomatic Representation (1 May 2008)

Dermot Ahern: As stated in my reply of 23 April 2008, the Secretary General of my Department met with the Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Brazil on 28 March 2008, at the latter's request. The meeting was conducted in an open and friendly atmosphere, reflecting the good relations between Ireland and Brazil. A useful and constructive discussion took place across a number of issues relating to...