Results 1,941-1,960 of 15,491 for speaker:Eamon Gilmore

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Deputy Dan Neville has identified the key dimension of the refugee crisis, namely, the tension there can be between refugees and the host community. It is a worrying dimension, reflecting the pressure on the countries with large refugee populations. Inevitably, there are tensions and pressures. This will have to be managed and worked on very carefully. On the wider issues raised by...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: First, I thank Senator Walsh for his kind remarks. Let me start with the contribution of the Russian foreign Minister, Mr. Lavrov, and US Secretary of State, Mr. Kerry. I have had the privilege of discussing the issue of Syria with both, more recently with Mr. Kerry at the Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Vilnius, and I am not in any doubt about their personal commitment to seeking a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I agree with Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan that Iran has an important role to play in this regard and that it should be part of the Geneva II process. I spoke by telephone with the new Foreign Minister of Iran recently and exchanged with him Ireland's views on the situation and the role Iran might play. As for the issue of chemical weapons, as I mentioned in my opening contribution the use of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: A strong position has been taken by the European Union in particular from the beginning of the conflict in March 2011 when protests about security force abuses started which resulted in the adoption of sanctions. The Security Council has also made repeated efforts to agree strong resolutions and a robust response to what is happening in Syria. Unfortunately, it was not possible to reach...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I mentioned the Red Cross. We have contributed €1.4 million to it and it mainly provides food, medical aid and assistance to refugees.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: That is a big dimension of the crisis. The crisis in Syria has led to the movement of more than two million refugees out of the country. Those people are desperately seeking sanctuary from the conflict. All the region's countries are experiencing the effect of the humanitarian crisis. The countries most seriously affected are Jordan and Lebanon where more than 60% of the total refugee...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The issue in Syria has moved on from some of those questions, particularly the last batch of questions about how one sees it in terms of the big picture issues of power and influence in the region. A conflict has been going on for over two years and more than 100,000 people have been killed. There has been an involvement by some external actors - if I can use that term. It has become a...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: Ireland has taken a consistent position on the issue of sending arms to Syria, which is that we do not want to see the further militarisation of the conflict in Syria. We were keen for the European Union to renew its arms embargo on Syria and I had hoped this would happen, but it was not possible to get agreement. The supply of arms to Syria is often portrayed as arming the opposition or...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: First, we must acknowledge that the international community faces serious challenges in delivering humanitarian assistance. We have been working through a number of NGOs and United Nations agencies. I admire the work they are doing in trying to get aid through. Inside Syria there are excessive controls on aid agencies working in the country. The fragmentation of the armed opposition and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The UN inspectors were not asked to express a view on who was responsible. Their task was to establish in the first instance whether chemical weapons had been used because, as the Chairman will be aware, there were vigorous denials that they had been used. They were also asked to investigate the extent to which chemical weapons were used. It is clear from the extent of what was used that...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade: Situation In Syria: Discussion with Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I thank the Chairman and members of the joint committee for inviting me to discuss with them the issue of Syria at this time. The conflict in Syria is a tragedy and a humanitarian disaster, but it is also a complex challenge, touching on international law and issues surrounding the spread of chemical and other weapons. The scale of each of these challenges is huge and their resolution will...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Passport Applications (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: A passport was issued by the Passport Service to the person in question on 17 July, 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Funding (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The EU PEACE III Programme aims to promote peace and reconciliation through measures which specifically encourage a cross-community focus. Projects administered by the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland must satisfy strict criteria to receive EU PEACE III funding and are monitored in this regard by the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) and the relevant lead departments; the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Exports Data (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I propose to take Questions Nos. 65 and 107 together. The total value of goods exports in 2012 was €92 billion, representing an increase of 0.9% on the 2011 figure (€91 billion), while goods exports for the first seven months of 2013 reached €51 billion; a decrease of 5.8% on the same period in 2012 (€54 billion). This decrease in goods exports is largely...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Foreign Conflicts (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I am aware of the case to which the Deputy refers. According to reports received, an incident occurred on the afternoon of 9 July 2013 when seven Israeli Defence Force soldiers and an officer were involved in detaining a five-year-old Palestinian child. The child was detained in Hebron after he reportedly threw a stone at a car belonging to a settler. I understand that he was taken home...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Military Aircraft Landings (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952 gives the Minister for Foreign Affairs primary responsibility for the regulation of activity by foreign military aircraft in Ireland. My Department's records indicate that permission was granted for the landing of 51 foreign government/ military aircraft carrying Heads of State or Heads of Government from other nations. Permission was...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Nuclear Plants (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: In his latest report to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors (and, in parallel, to the United Nations Security Council) regarding the implementation of the NPT Safeguards Agreement and relevant provisions of Security Council resolutions in the Islamic Republic of Iran (report dated 28 August 2013), the IAEA Director General has stated again that the Agency is not...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Ministerial Meetings (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I met with the Governor of California, Mr Jerry Brown, on 15 July last in the course of his private visit to Ireland. Governor Brown and I had a very useful meeting on a range of issues. We discussed the common economic issues facing both Ireland and California - the challenges in the global economic environment, tackling public finances and our shared interest in key sectors like...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: EU Meetings (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: I attended the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council which took place in Brussels on 22 July last.As the Deputy will be aware, a wide range of issues were discussed at the Council meeting and important Conclusions were agreed across a number of key policy areas; these Conclusions may be accessed on the official EU website . High Representative (HR) Ashton's opening remarks touched upon Water...

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Diplomatic Representation Issues (18 Sep 2013)

Eamon Gilmore: The scale and deployment of our diplomatic and honorary consul network is considered by the Government on an ongoing basis taking account also of the resources available to us at this time. There are no immediate plans to appoint an Honorary Consul in Libya nor to establish an Embassy there. My Department is unaware of any offer to fund an Embassy having being made by the Libyan...