Conor Lenihan (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Acting Chairman for his attention and thank those Senators who contributed to the debate before my arrival to conclude it on behalf of my senior colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern. Unfortunately, he could not be present to hear the debate's conclusion. However, many Members will have read and listened to his excellent contribution.

In particular, I wish to pay tribute to a number of Senators who made contributions while I have been present, namely, Senators Mooney, Ryan, Minihan, O'Toole, Lydon, Mansergh and ÓMurchú. I particularly thank Senator Mansergh for his kind reference to my late father. As Senator Mansergh and other Members are aware, he was proud that he moved our foreign policy in a direction that was positively disposed towards the Palestinian people in what, depressingly, has become their almost eternal search for nationhood and statehood and for their nation to be incorporated in a state of its own.

It is a great disappointment that we still negotiate and debate on this particular issue, given all the efforts made by everyone in this House, in other houses and in other political systems across the globe. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, made this clear. I was taken by Senator O'Toole's frank statement that the Government has been even-handed in its response to this matter, notwithstanding the existing foreign policy choice to be pro-Palestinian and in favour of the Palestinian people's rights.

The election poses its own problems. The current phase of the process in the Middle East is built on four essential pillars. These include respect for the Oslo agreement and respect for the views and recommendations of the Quartet which was established at international level. Many people invested a great deal of hope in it, much of which has, unfortunately, now been dashed. The third pillar is the basic assumption flowing from the Oslo Accords and the Quartet that there would be recognition of the state of Israel and a full-scale renunciation of violence.

I notice that Senator Ryan has re-entered the Chamber. It is unfortunate and wrong to state that we have changed our position in this matter. We are as even-handed now as we were when we began the journey in foreign policy terms with regard to Palestine. We will not cut assistance or aid and I wish to underline that phrase deliberately. We have never cut and run in situations of abject poverty, distress or difficulty, be it in extremely poor countries or countries going through enormously difficult political and violent transition of one kind or another. We have never——