Results 14,861-14,880 of 16,849 for speaker:Dermot Ahern

Written Answers — Foreign Conflicts: Foreign Conflicts (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Under the provisions of the 2002 Sun City peace accords, the transition process in the Democratic Republic of the Congo — DRC — is formally set to conclude at the end of June 2006, with the holding of the first democratic elections in the DRC in more than 40 years. The successful holding of national elections represents a major undertaking which will require substantial international...

Common Foreign and Security Policy. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The ambition of the EU to be able to respond quickly to emerging crises has been, and continues to be, a key objective of the development of the European Security and Defence Policy, ESDP. An important aspect of ESDP is the development of a stand-by military rapid response capacity, in the form of battlegroups. Almost all EU member states have already made a commitment to contribute to a...

Common Foreign and Security Policy. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: It is true that we wish to participate in this battlegroup, largely because we have been exhorted to do so by the UN, particularly by the Secretary General, Kofi Annan. He has requested that Ireland does so as one of the countries in the UN infrastructure with the highest proportion of UN peacekeeping forces per head of population currently taking part in operations in difficult and dangerous...

Common Foreign and Security Policy. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: No contradiction exists.

Common Foreign and Security Policy. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: Am I not entitled to reply?

Common Foreign and Security Policy. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The only contradiction that exists——

Common Foreign and Security Policy. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: It has not led to any pressure on us in respect of our participation in battlegroups. Our position is quite clear. A number of other countries which also require UN authorisation to participate, among them, Finland, and to a certain extent, Austria, have eased this requirement. I agree with the point made by Deputy Michael D. Higgins. We found grave fault with the term "battlegroup". We would...

Foreign Conflicts. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 43, 48, 49, 94, 97, 109 and 112 together. Regarding the general political and security situation in Iraq and the allegations of the misappropriation of funds for reconstruction, I refer the Deputies to my previous replies to two Priority Questions. Despite very real progress in the establishment of democratic political institutions in Iraq, the Government and...

Foreign Conflicts. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: To the best of my knowledge, there have been no discussions with my officials on the structure, federal or otherwise, of the Iraqi Government. As I said in previous replies, the EU is adamant that the Government's formation is entirely a matter for the Iraqi people and that the Administration to be formed must be as broadly based as possible. All efforts should be made in that area. As the...

Social Partnership. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: He did not want people to own their own homes.

Foreign Conflicts. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I propose to take Questions Nos. 37 and 41 together. I share the deep concern of Deputies about the situation in Iraq. The level of sectarian violence has been increasing in recent months with terrible consequences for ordinary Iraqi citizens. For well over a year, armed groups based in the Sunni community have engaged openly in sectarian attacks on Shia and Kurdish civilians. The cynical aim...

Foreign Conflicts. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I accept the Deputy's comments on the length of reply. This is primarily a matter for the UN Security Council which authorised the payment of these funds into the development fund for Iraq. It established the International Advisory and Monitoring Board for Iraq to examine these allegations.

Foreign Conflicts. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The body and its auditors, KPMG, have drawn attention to the lack of control over expenditure. These allegations relate to the US-led Coalition Provisional Authority's time in power. It has been dissolved and the administration of the funds has been transferred to the new Iraqi Government. So far no allegations have been made against that government of misappropriation or misuse of funds. The...

Foreign Conflicts. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The argument of whether the horrendous loss of life in Iraq should be defined as "civil war" is semantic. There is a concerted effort to drag the country into a sustained period of civil strife. Despite the killings, several religious and political leaders have been restrained in their responses to them. Efforts are continuing to draw together a broadly-based Iraqi Government but it has not...

Foreign Conflicts. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The answer is "No". The priority must be to get a government which is supported by all sides.

Foreign Conflicts. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: The UN Security Council has responsibility for this matter. Any information concerning the improper use of funds must be transmitted to the monitoring board. We did not raise this issue with the President when we met him recently, although we did raise the unfortunate and difficult situation in Iraq. It is important to emphasise what has happened there over recent years. There has been a huge...

Middle East Peace Process. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: I have been closely following the developments since last week's general elections in Israel. I offer my congratulations to acting Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, on the success of his party, Kadima, which is now the largest party in the Knesset. It seems clear that he and other Israeli political leaders will need some time to negotiate the formation of a new coalition government. The Irish...

Middle East Peace Process. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: No.

Middle East Peace Process. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: In his initial statements, the acting Israeli Prime Minister, Mr. Olmert, indicated that he looks forward to dealing with the Palestinians on the basis of negotiations. Through the EU, the Irish Government has always made it known strongly that the transfer by Israel of its own population into occupied territory is in breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention. The situation is that such...

Middle East Peace Process. (4 Apr 2006)

Dermot Ahern: In answer to Deputy Michael D. Higgins, the EU could break off all discussions with Israel on the basis of what that country is doing. I fully accept what the Deputy stated about its extension into occupied territories. It is incumbent on the EU and the international community to exhort Israel. The comments made by acting Prime Minister, Mr. Olmert, and the non-violence so far of Hamas...