Joanna Tuffy (Labour)

It is obvious that I do not have the same insight into this issue as Senator Minihan. As it is not in my brief, I am not as informed about this matter as I would like to be when speaking in a debate of this nature. I agree with the request made during a previous debate for Members to be briefed in advance of debates of this kind. When I examined the website of the Scottish Parliament, I learned that MSPs are given briefing papers on legislation and other matters under debate. We need to examine that idea.

I would like to make comments and ask some questions on foot of the Minister of State's speech and the contributions of other Senators. The conflict in Iraq is no longer at the centre of the media agenda. I welcome this debate, which has been requested by many Senators, because it is important that this issue be kept to the forefront. Events in Iraq and the Middle East as a whole are key to the peace of the entire world. I did not agree with the war in Iraq. It is not right for the Governments in the UK and the US to decide to change the regimes of other countries. It is important that they do not carry out such actions again in other parts of the world, but it is more likely that they will do so if the issue of Iraq fades into the background. In such circumstances, a new war may be upon us before we can do anything about it.

It is important that countries like Ireland, on their own as well as at EU and UN levels, forcefully state they do not accept the recent behaviour of the UK and the US. We should demand that certain action is taken. Members will be aware from previous debates that my Labour Party colleagues and I did not agree with the war in Iraq. The war was started on a dishonest basis. I am unhappy with the UK's role in the war, especially the part played by its Prime Minister, Mr. Blair. He persistently said the war was necessary for reasons of disarmament, even though he knew it was being pursued to bring about regime change in Iraq. It is wrong for a democracy to set such an example as it conducts its business. The UK Administration debated whether it should do certain things, while at the same time being untruthful about why such actions were to be taken. It is totally unsatisfactory that such an example was set by a country that purports to want to deliver democracy to other parts of the world.

Ireland should not have a subservient role in its dealings with the UK and the US. While Ireland should support such countries as best it can as a friend, it should make its feelings known when such countries are acting wrongly. It is an understatement to suggest that the Government should review the approach it is taking at Shannon Airport. I refer, for example, to the money it is spending to allow the US to use Irish airspace to carry out the kinds of activities which are being carried out in Iraq and other parts of the world.

I did not agree with the war, as I thought the countries involved should have acted differently. They continue to act wrongly in respect of human rights. Having said that, we need to work on the basis of what has happened. Everything we do should be done because we want Iraq to succeed. Our goal should be to ensure that Iraq is democratic and peaceful. We should try to spread peace and democracy throughout the region as a whole, but not by acting as the UK and the US have acted to date. The UK and the US should undo the damage they have done. We need to demand they approach human rights issues in Iraq in a certain manner. I refer to the treatment of prisoners in Guantanamo Bay, for example.

The conditions in the Middle East as a whole are relevant to this debate. It is obvious that the behaviour of the UK and the US in Iraq will have a knock-on effect on the delivery of peace in other parts of the Middle East. Similarly, the development of the peace process in Palestine and Israel is important when considering the future of Iraq. Ireland should act as an honest broker in the peace process in Israel and Palestine. Just as Israel has acted badly in respect of the Palestinians, the Palestinians have acted badly in respect of Israel. We have to work with both sides. We should be forceful in our demands as we try to secure an appropriate outcome in the form of a two-state solution.

The UK Prime Minister, Mr. Blair, has not delivered what he thought he could deliver in Palestine and Israel. Progress has been made as a consequence of work on the ground in Palestine, rather than as a result of the actions of the UK and the US. The people of Palestine showed when they elected Mahmoud Abbas that they are looking for a peaceful solution. I think the Israelis want a peaceful solution as well. I do not necessarily agree with many of the actions of the Israeli Government, but I believe most Israelis would like to live in peace and to see the Palestinians treated better. We need to continue to put pressure on Mr. Blair and the US President, Mr. Bush, to deliver what needs to be delivered if Israel and Palestine are to be brought to the table and if there is to be a positive and progressive outcome.

The Minister of State spoke about the recent elections in Iraq. I have heard little about the monitoring of the elections, particularly from an Irish point of view. What did Ireland do to help the implementation of the elections? Was the outcome of the elections representative of the way people voted? It is clear that the holding of elections represented progress, but this is not enough. We need to ascertain whether gaps still exist. What can be done to bring more people on board in Iraq in the future? Ireland must play a bigger role. Much more publicity was given to Ireland's role in elections which were held in other countries after wars in those countries had finished. I do not think the Minister of State gave much information about what Ireland did to ensure that the elections in Iraq were democratic, as far as possible. If the elections were not democratic, what can this country do to deliver more democracy and better election outcomes in Iraq in the future? We should ensure elections are held in more areas and more people get a chance to vote.

There has not been a great deal of discussion of Ireland's role in UN peacekeeping missions in Iraq. I appreciate Senator Minihan's argument that the Army should not get involved in Iraq if it does not know what it is getting into and what it can achieve. It is obvious that the safety of our troops should be paramount. We have had many debates on this issue, but little information has emerged about the discussions with various interested parties about Ireland's peacekeeping role. I have asked whether Ireland is offering any policing expertise in the region. We have a great deal of experience of giving advice about improvements in policing as part of our peacekeeping operations. Will we take any such action in this instance? I do not suggest that we should jump in straight away, but I am worried that very little information has been supplied. I have not been told what stage we are at in terms of those issues.

I would like the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, to answer the questions I have asked in his response. I agree that the problems in Iraq should be kept on the agenda. Our ultimate goal should be a positive outcome. While it is right that we are critical, we should also try to make progress and work with everyone involved to improve the circumstances in Iraq and retrieve what can be retrieved. We do not want similar actions to those taken by the UK and the US to be taken in the future. Any future intervention in the affairs of another country should be done with the co-operation of the UN and the EU. The UK and the US cannot be allowed to behave as they have done in the past. Ireland should be strong and forceful in that regard.