Results 6,221-6,240 of 18,320 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: We will hear presentations in two sessions today. For the first I welcome the delegation from Syria: His Beatitude Gregory III Laham, Patriarch of Antioch, East, Alexandria and Jerusalem; His Holiness Ignatius Aphrem II, Patriarch of Antioch; His Grace Dr. Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, Grand Mufti of Syria; Dr. Ahmad al Khaddour, cardiothoracic surgeon; and Dr. Bashir Mohammad, cardiac surgeon....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I thank Mr. Aphrem. In case there is interference with the broadcasting system I remind members, witnesses and those in the Public Gallery to ensure their mobile phones are switched off completely for the duration of the meeting. Mobile phones can cause interference with the recording and broadcast equipment even when on silent mode. Today's meeting is being broadcast live on Oireachtas...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I thank you for your contribution. I will now call on members of the joint committee to ask questions. They have all indicated that they wish to pose questions. Our guests all referred to Ireland as a land of peace. We know from our own peace process and the difficulties we had over the years that a number of essential ingredients are required in order to achieve peace. These include a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Thank you, Deputy Ó Snodaigh. We have eight minutes to conclude this session so I would ask for concise answers to the questions posed. Who is going to take the questions?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Time is very much against us. We have only four minutes remaining.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: We must finish because we are beyond our scheduled time.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: No, we cannot, we are caught. One sentence on Russian involvement.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: What about the bombardment of civilians?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: We will conclude because we are not getting answers.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: As I explained, we are beyond time. We have given the delegates more time than originally planned. I thank them for their contributions. They have heard very clearly from every member of the committee that the Irish people are only interested in seeing an end to one of the most horrific conflicts of our time. The carnage involving so many innocent people is deplorable. Committee members...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I welcome Mr. Robin Yassin-Kassab. As I stated earlier, the world is shocked daily by the level of atrocities occurring in Syria. The committee has asked Mr. Robin Yassin-Kassab to appear before it to give a first-hand account of the situation in Syria and his proposals for alleviating the suffering of so many people there. The format of the meeting is that we will hear an opening...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I thank Mr. Robin Yassin-Kassab. There are one or two items of correction. The Government does not decide who comes before the committee. The committee itself decides. We facilitate groups which request an opportunity to make a presentation to the committee. We give groups opportunities to come and make a presentation and to question them. The presence of any group or individual does...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Just one second now, I am chairing this and I will speak.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Mr. Yassin-Kassab will be given an opportunity to speak later when he will be asked questions. Mr. Yassin-Kassab commented that if one does not care about people in Syria, then one should care about people in Europe. We do care about people in Syria.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Mr. Yassin-Kassab might just accept that quickly. Those who proposed that Mr. Yassin-Kassab make a presentation to this committee - we are glad to be able to afford him that opportunity and to listen to his important contribution - would be well able to tell him that over the past five years the work of this committee and its predecessor was devoted more to dealing with the issue of Syria...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I thank Senator Bacik. We have a number of questioners.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: We will take a number of questions together and Mr. Yassin-Kassab will come back to all of the questions then. I call Deputy McFadden.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Senator, sorry.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: Mr. Yassin-Kassab can respond later.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, and Defence: Situation in Syria: Discussion (1 Dec 2016)

Brendan Smith: I call Deputy Seán Barrett.