Shane Ross (Independent)

I wish to raise a matter that has been raised in the House many times previously and is particularly topical this week, namely, the situation in Zimbabwe. I congratulate the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Dermot Ahern, who has already protested about the unrest and the deprivation of human rights there. However, the situation is now becoming critical. All Members will be aware the opposition leader has been arrested and tortured while in detention and that there has been at least one killing by the so-called police in Zimbabwe. As Ireland punches above its weight in foreign affairs, it can initiate a diplomatic offensive, both within and without the EU, to demonstrate to the world and to President Mugabe himself that he is a dictator whose respect for human rights is zero.