Michael Kitt (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State. I am disappointed and saddened by what is happening in Iraq. I am not as hopeful as Senator Minihan about the progress in Iraq, although I realise progress has been made in the area of education. I visited Iraq 15 months ago and I try to keep in contact with Iraqi people here who tell me about the circumstances of their families in Iraq. There is a major breakdown in law and order and when that happens, every other issue has to be put into perspective. I am talking about issues such as the poor electricity and water supply, the inadequate sewerage system and so on. There is an irony in people queuing for oil products in a country which is so rich in that resource. Now is the time to restore sovereignty to the Iraqi people, which has been spoken about by the Minister and the Government, and keep in contact with the United Nations Security Council to ensure matters improve. I am told that normal currency is not worth anything in Iraq and that one needs dollars to survive. The oil for food programme, of which we were so proud, has been undermined by what is happening in Iraq.

I condemn what is happening regarding the humiliation of prisoners. We have seen such practices in Palestine and eastern Europe with the trafficking of people, particularly women. I understand information will be made available to us in the coming days on many more examples of humiliation in the prisons. I hope we get back to the question of the role of the United Nations and make a strong case, as we did to Washington and London in respect of the humiliation of prisoners. We must ensure that sovereignty is given to the Iraqi people and that they are allowed get on with their lives.