Results 6,121-6,140 of 50,136 for speaker:Micheál Martin

Written Answers — Official Engagements: Official Engagements (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 50 together. I refer Deputies to my earlier reply to Priority Question number 4. I completed a very constructive visit to Syria, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates between 1 — 5 February, my second visit to the Middle East as Minister for Foreign Affairs. The visit was timely given the recent conflict in Gaza and the prospects for efforts to revive...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17, 59 and 60 together. The Government has consistently supported the right to self-determination of the people of the Western Sahara. Ireland has not taken a position on the future of the Territory, be it full independence, autonomy, or integration under Moroccan sovereignty, so long as it is decided in a genuine exercise of self-determination. We strongly...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18 and 35 together. The situation in Zimbabwe remains extremely grave. Since March 2008 the country has effectively not been governed, and infrastructure and social services are in a state of collapse. Rampant inflation, the result of disastrous economic mismanagement, has led to the effective abandonment of Zimbabwe's currency. Millions of Zimbabweans —...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: The local elections held in Iraq on 31 January have given perhaps the most positive indication yet of the significant improvement of the situation in Iraq in the last two years. There are a number of aspects which I find particularly hopeful. Only a few months ago there was still real doubt that the elections could be held at all. In the event they took place almost completely peacefully,...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 21, 40, 42, 46, 66, 67 and 77 together. In a statement issued on 8 February, and in reply to Parliamentary Questions on 10 February, I made clear my deep concern at the plight of the war-ravaged Tamil population in the north of Sri Lanka, who are the innocent victims of the conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and the rebel LTTE (Liberation Tigers of...

Written Answers — EU Presidency: EU Presidency (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Czech Presidency identified a number of themes as priorities in the external relations area. These include the Eastern Partnership aimed at deepening the European Neighbourhood Policy in respect of six Eastern States, the continuation of dialogue between the European Union and Russia, further development of transatlantic cooperation and the development of relations with the non- EU...

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: As a long-standing development partner of Ethiopia, Ireland greatly regrets the narrowing of the political space for opposition parties, the press and civil society, which we have observed in the country since 2005. We believe that the strengthening of democracy is a key element in the economic development process, and we regularly communicate this to our Ethiopian partners. As a...

Written Answers — Miami Five Case: Miami Five Case (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: The case to which the Deputy refers relates to five Cuban men, known as the Miami Five, who were convicted in the US in 2001 on charges ranging from espionage to first degree murder. On 4 June 2008, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta, Georgia, issued its judgement on appeals lodged on behalf of the five. The Circuit Court concluded that the appellants' arguments, which centred on...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I am deeply concerned by the situation in Burma. There has been no political progress since the events of September 2007, and harassment and repression of monks, political activists and others by the military junta has continued unabated since that time. Daw Aung San Suu Kyi is also still under arrest. Meantime, the junta appears intent on holding elections in 2010, based on the new...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 31 together. The Government is committed to seeking to increase Irish engagement in international conflict resolution as a dimension of our foreign policy. The role of the Conflict Resolution Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs is to offer support for conflict resolution efforts internationally while also seeking to develop our national capacity...

Written Answers — EU Presidency: EU Presidency (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I have regular contacts with the Czech Presidency, including at the monthly meetings of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, the most recent of which took place on 26 January. On that occasion, I had a bilateral meeting with the Czech Deputy Prime Minister Alexandr Vondra and Foreign Minister, Karel Schwarzenberg. At that meeting, we discussed the follow-up to the conclusions...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 34, 37, 48, 53, 61, 69, 70 and 76 together. While I welcome the fact that the unilateral ceasefires announced by Israel and Hamas on 18 January continue to hold, I am deeply concerned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza remains extremely serious and that no durable ceasefire has yet been put in place. The immediate priority continues to be the opening of...

Written Answers — EU Accession: EU Accession (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: Turkey has had a perspective towards membership of the European Union since the conclusion of the Association Agreement of 1963, although negotiations on accession did not open until 2005. Negotiations with Turkey are proceeding, albeit at a slow pace. Of the thirty five negotiating chapters, ten are now open, of which one has been provisionally closed. In its 2008 assessment of Turkey's...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 38 and 152 together. I remain deeply concerned by the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Even after the end of the civil war in 2006, sporadic fighting continued in the Kivu provinces of eastern DRC between ethnic Tutsi militias, principally the CNDP, and ethnic Hutu militias, including the FDLR. The FDLR includes many Rwandan...

Written Answers — European Council Meetings: European Council Meetings (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 39 and 63 together. I attended the General Affairs and External Relations Council (GAERC) in Brussels on 26 January 2009. This was the first such meeting under the Czech Presidency and provided an opportunity for the Presidency to outline its priorities for the months ahead, which are the economy, energy and Europe in the World. This meeting of the Council...

Written Answers — International Relations: International Relations (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: Iran reported on 3 February that it had successfully launched a small satellite into orbit, using its own Safir-2 rocket. Iran had previously put a satellite into space in 2005, using a Russian launch vehicle. There is of course no reason why Iran should not place satellites into space for peaceful purposes and, in an ideal world, no reason why Iran should not choose to launch them itself, if...

Written Answers — Global Financial Crisis: Global Financial Crisis (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: I have followed recent developments in Iceland very closely. Iceland is a country with which Ireland has always had close and friendly relations. The country has been particularly badly hit in the current international financial crisis and this has led to pressure on its currency and severe problems for people and businesses there. Iceland is also one of the European Union's closest partners....

Written Answers — Overseas Development Aid: Overseas Development Aid (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: Through Irish Aid, the Government has provided significant assistance to a number of initiatives with the objective of building the rule of law in Bosnia and Herzegovina following the tragic conflicts in Western Balkans during the 1990s. Since 2003, Irish Aid has provided funding of almost €1 million towards the development of institutions in the justice sector in Bosnia, in partnership...

Written Answers — Emigrant Support Services: Emigrant Support Services (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: The Government attaches the highest importance to resolving the plight of our undocumented citizens in the United States. In the absence, to date, of comprehensive immigration reform in the US, we have actively pursued a bilateral approach in this area, aimed at reforming our overall immigration arrangements with the United States and facilitating greater legal migration between the two...

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (12 Feb 2009)

Micheál Martin: On 5 November last, in response to a Parliamentary Question in relation to the situation in North Korea, I was pleased to report on the resumption of the Six Party Talks Process, following a period in which this process had been stalled and was at risk of being reversed. Satisfactory progress continued into December when a further session of the Six Party Talks took place but, shortly...