Results 6,141-6,160 of 8,600 for speaker:Seán Crowe

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: It is just that the North is a huge issue for many of us here.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: Regarding agreements made in the past - the Good Friday Agreement and the St. Andrews Agreement - the witness referred to slow progress. If anything will kill the potential of what came out of those agreements, it is slow progress. I have some disagreements with the witnesses' assessment of EU developments. Many key EU personnel, most recently Viviane Reding, the vice-president of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Review of Foreign Affairs Policy and External Relations: Discussion (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: I will begin with the conclusion of Mr. Dorr's contribution. I liked his comments about Kofi Annan's vision and his own vision of Ireland in the context of planetary matters. We are a small country and our history and so on are significant positives no matter where one travels in the world. When we met the Iranians, I pointed out that as a small state we do not have a hidden agenda like...

Other Questions: Undocumented Irish in the USA (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: Does the Tánaiste believe conditions have improved since his last visit? There was considerable optimism when we were there working on the matter. The Tánaiste mentioned St. Patrick's Day. Does he see that as a key period for the lobbying work by the Government and Members of this House, as well as Irish America? Another area highlighted during the visit was those who are...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: I welcome that the Government has pledged €2 million in funding to provide life-saving emergency assistance to civilians in the Central African Republic. That country is one of the most disadvantaged states in Africa. Its population was extremely vulnerable before the outbreak of this crisis, so I hope the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will continue to do all it can to...

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: Have we any answer to helping the displaced people from that region? Have there been discussions on Irish involvement in sending EU military forces to the Central African Republic?

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: 7. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the deepening crisis and continued violence in the Central African Republic; if his Department pledged funding and assistance to those affected; and if he has discussed the crisis with his EU counterparts. [1439/14]

Other Questions: Foreign Conflicts (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: Recently, in a welcome move, the President and Prime Minister of the Central African Republic have stepped down. Hopefully, this will help to calm the situation there and restore hope and order, which will not be easy. We have all heard the shocking stories about massacres and seen the horrific images emanating from that country.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Human Rights Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: I thank the Tánaiste for bringing some clarity to the situation. Again, I was working off reports from the region. As the Tánaiste mentioned, a statement from the public defender who visited the prison and witnessed this said that the practice had been going on for a number of months, a fact that was verified during official visits and was not denied by the Israeli prison service....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Human Rights Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: In respect of the reports coming out of the occupied territories, other human rights organisations have talked about how they found that Palestinian children detained by the Israeli authorities are being systematically subjected to torture and violence including threats of rape by Israeli interrogators in order to force them to confess to crimes like stone throwing. It is unacceptable. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Human Rights Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: 5. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to reports that the Israeli authorities put Palestinian prisoners, including children, in outdoor cages during the severe winter storm that struck the region in the middle of December; his views that this practice is yet another example of Israel abusing and ill-treating detained Palestinian...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Human Rights Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: This question relates to the treatment of Palestinian children. At the end of last year, a statement was made by the advocacy group, the Public Committee Against Torture in Israel, that Israel had put Palestinian prisoners, including children, in outdoor cages during the severe winter storm that struck the region last month. This occurred in the Ramla prison complex, where Palestinian...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: We know that Unionist leaders have opposed the implementation of this agreement at this time. They are now saying they want negotiations to continue. Does the Tánaiste believe they are serious about coming to agreement or is this more about the illusion of movement on these matters? Would he accept that they may be more concerned about future elections than trying to resolve this...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: Dr. Haass made it clear that the proposals he put together were part of a package. I think the proposals were the seventh draft and they reflected many long hours of hard work and compromise. Does the Tánaiste accept that the final proposals and documents were all about compromise and mutual agreement and were not partisan? I do not think they reflect any one party's view of how to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Northern Ireland Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: 2. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will provide an assessment of the Haass proposals; and the actions his Department intends to take to deal with the issues of the flags and emblems, the past and parading in the context of the Good Friday Agreement. [1502/14]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: 15. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the deepening crisis and continued violence in South Sudan; if his Department pledged funding and assistance to those affected; and if he has discussed the crisis with his EU counterparts. [1441/14]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: 20. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the Basque Political Prisoners Collective agreed to endorse a peace process strategy and to pursue political objectives through exclusively political means; if he welcomes this step; and if he will discuss the issue with the Spanish Government and encourage them to...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: 23. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza; that Israel is deepening the crisis due to its continued blockade and bombing of Gaza; and if he will raise the issue with the Israeli authorities. [1438/14]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: 40. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to an escalation of violence against the community in Pitalito, Colombia, over its ongoing land dispute; if he is aware that shots were fired against members of the community, journalists and human rights defenders; and if he will call for the Colombian government to give real guarantees...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Middle East Issues (15 Jan 2014)

Seán Crowe: 41. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the case of a Palestinian teacher and non-violent political activist (details supplied) who has faced undue harassment from the Israeli forces, and has had to go into hiding out of fear; if he will raise the case with the Israeli authorities; and if he will make a statement on the...