Results 10,841-10,860 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Overseas Missions (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: As Deputy Ó Fearghaíl acknowledged, I attended last Friday's meeting of Friends of Syria at which 107 countries were represented, about half at ministerial level. We heard from representatives of the Syrian opposition of the atrocities being committed in Syria. About 16,000 people have been killed in Syria and there is continuing violence and attacks on the civilian population. A robust...

Overseas Missions (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: My response to calls for military intervention, including UN military intervention, in Syria is that the Syrian opposition leadership would not welcome such an intervention at this point. One concern is the possibility of the deterioration of the situation in Syria to full-scale sectarian civil war. The situation on the ground is complex and the focus of the international community is on...

Nuclear Non-Proliferation (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The nuclear non-proliferation treaty makes no specific reference to a right to engage in uranium enrichment. Article IV (1) of the treaty provides that states are entitled to develop research, production and use of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. This entitlement must be exercised in conformity with Article II, under which non-nuclear-weapon states, including Iran, undertake not to...

Nuclear Non-Proliferation (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The IAEA set out at some length its concerns about possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear programme in its report of 8 November. This report concluded that the available information indicates that Iran had carried out activities relevant to the development of a nuclear explosive device. Its most recent report, which was published in May, states that because Iran is not providing the...

Nuclear Non-Proliferation (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The approach that Ireland is taking, in co-operation with other EU member states, is intended to avoid bringing the region to the brink of conflict. The objective of the sanctions was to persuade Iran to come to the negotiating table. We believe the Iranian nuclear issue can only be resolved through negotiation and agreement within the E3+3 process. As the Deputy has acknowledged, the...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The incident referred to by the Deputy involving the death of two journalists Sagar Sarwar and his wife Meherun Runi in Dhaka February 2012 is one of a number of attacks on journalists which have taken place in Bangladesh in recent months. Ireland's diplomatic relations with Bangladesh are maintained by secondary accreditation via our embassy in New Delhi. I have requested that officials at...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The case raised by Deputy Halligan is indeed serious. The safety and protection of journalists are matters to which we attach a very high importance. Journalists should be able to go about their work without being at risk. The responsibility for investigating the crime lies with the authorities in Bangladesh and they must be allowed to carry out that investigation. Ireland, along with our...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: As I said, we do not have resident representation in Bangladesh; our embassy accreditation is through New Delhi. We will continue to work with the representations of EU colleagues in Bangladesh and will continue to seek a full and fair investigation of the cases that Deputy Halligan has raised.

Consular Assistance Abroad (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I am aware of the situation concerning the person referred to by Deputy Ó Fearghaíl and have already addressed this matter on a number of occasions previously. As the person referred to is not an Irish citizen, it is not possible for my Department to offer him consular assistance. The Greek authorities are under no legal obligation to assist our embassy with any requests made in...

Consular Assistance Abroad (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: As I have said, we do not have any locus standi in the matter because the person concerned is not an Irish citizen. Given that he is married to an Irish citizen, however, we did attempt to make contact with the Greek police to see if we could be of some assistance and make inquiries about the matter. As Deputy Ó Fearghaíl has said, the man concerned, who is an Albanian citizen, was...

Consular Assistance Abroad (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: It would not be appropriate for me to intervene politically in this case any more than it would be appropriate for the Greek Foreign Minister to raise with me a matter that is before the Irish courts. It would not be appropriate or helpful if I were to make any comment on the trial, verdict or appeal process. That would also not be helpful to the man concerned. I do not propose to do so....

Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: It is important to be clear that I have not made any proposal for a boycott of Israeli goods, and the Government does not support any such boycott. Successive Irish Governments have taken this view, and recognised also that such a proposal would have no chance of success. The Foreign Affairs Council in May adopted conclusions on a range of critical and urgent issues which, in our view,...

Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I have previously outlined my belief that settlements are now at the heart of the continuing conflict and represent a key obstacle in then way of peace. It is very important that the EU has now clearly highlighted the continuing expansion of settlements as posing a real threat to the viability of a negotiated peace and the two-state solution. Every expansion of settlements makes peace more...

Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: The conflict between Israel and Palestine has been going on for a very long time. There have been repeated efforts over the years to get a resolution. It does not help to reduce it to the kind of simplistic terms that Deputy Boyd Barrett has used. Ireland's position on the issue is very strong as is acknowledged internationally. Speaking at the United Nations last year, I made clear...

Nuclear Proliferation (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Given the major concerns over the Iranian nuclear programme as documented in a series of UN Security Council and International Atomic Energy Agency resolutions since 2006, and given Iran's continuing unwillingness to engage seriously on these concerns or to address the serious findings highlighted in the IAEA's reports, the international community has had to impose several rounds of...

Nuclear Proliferation (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: It is important to make the point that when sanctions were agreed, particularly when the crude oil sanction was agreed, its application was not applied immediately. It was decided to apply it from 1 July and the purpose of that was to encourage Iran to engage seriously in E3+3 talks. If there is serious engagement at the E3+3 talks and satisfactory progress is being made on them, then the...

Nuclear Proliferation (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland has a very long and proud track record of promoting non-proliferation and nuclear disarmament and that position remains absolute and consistent. This is position is not applied differently to Iran or to anywhere else. We want to see a nuclear-free zone with countries completely free of nuclear weapons in the Middle East. This means no nuclear weapons in Israel, no nuclear weapons...

Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: Deputy Wallace knows a thing or two about double standards.

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 9, 12, 17, 18, 42 and 43 together. I have made clear on a number of occasions my revulsion at the level of violence that has engulfed Syria over the last 16 months. I did so most recently at the meeting of the Friends of Syria group which I attended in Paris last Friday. As I stated then, the violence from all sides must stop and the international community...

Written Answers — Human Rights Issues: Human Rights Issues (11 Jul 2012)

Eamon Gilmore: As I have indicated to the House on a number of occasions, Ireland's position on the United States' trade embargo of Cuba is long standing and well known. The European Union has clearly expressed the opposition of its member states to all unilateral measures against Cuba which are contrary to commonly accepted rules of international trade. Ireland, in common with our partners in the...