Ann Ormonde (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Martin, on his first visit to the House since his new appointment. I wish him well in his new Ministry.

Shock and disbelief followed my reading of all the reports in recent days on the continuing tragedy in Zimbabwe. Many observers stated the political environment was tense, hostile and volatile and many of the reports condemned the conditions under which the election took place. It was stated that voters were wakened at sunrise and were herded to polling stations. The widespread violence and intimidation resulted in the deaths of more than 100 Opposition supporters while many others were displaced or seriously injured, including women and children. Is it any wonder the leader of the Opposition was forced to withdraw from the election, which was a sham and did not reflect the people's will in Zimbabwe. Many of the Zimbabwean people voted out of fear and spoiled their votes by defacing them. They only voted to protect themselves from the hooligans.

Mr. Mugabe was in a hurry to be sworn in so that he could attend the African Union summit in Egypt. What an insult to democracy. I understand the African Union is divided. Some African countries have criticised the crisis while others indicated they did not want confrontation. The question is what is the solution to the problem. All our efforts must be redoubled, especially in the United Nations Security Council, to promote a democratic and peaceful way forward. The South African Development Community and the African Union are best placed to do something, and they have a responsibility to mobilise support for a negotiated solution. They must make it clear that this awful situation is not acceptable and that an effort must be made to restore democracy. Talks must commence between the regime and the MDC with the aim of at least moving towards a transitional government. I understand from what the Minister said that those talks are due to commence and I welcome the development.

Concern and condemnation have been expressed by elderly statesmen such as Nelson Mandela and the Kenyan Prime Minister who came out strongly against the illegitimate government and urged the African bloc to suspend Mugabe's membership. Ireland has long had links with south African countries, including Zimbabwe. Our missionary links were focused on education and health care. In addition, many Irish families have settled in Zimbabwe. There is concern on a humanitarian level and I acknowledge the Government is doing all it can to support the continuing operation of non-governmental organisations in Zimbabwe. I also acknowledge the humanitarian work of NGOs to help the most vulnerable. I visited South Africa and Zimbabwe earlier this year and I spoke with many NGOs in Johannesburg and in Zimbabwe. I have seen the work they are doing in education and health care. Many Irish families living in Zimbabwe are trying to flee that country because they feel there is no hope left for them there.

As the Minister outlined in his contribution, continued pressure is being put on the Mugabe regime to stop the violence and engage in meaningful dialogue with the leader of the Opposition. An international initiative must put pressure on all concerned to come together to see how best we can go forward. The European Union has also upped the ante by calling for talks on the political situation. Ireland, which is very much to the forefront on the issue, will support any new measures in that regard.

The leader of the Opposition won most of the votes in the first round of the election results. Accordingly, the second round is purely a sham and under no circumstances can leaders in any part of the world condone what is happening. We must work with international partners to find a way to end this sickening chapter of violence that has cost so many lives. That must be done through mediation, economic and financial sanctions and, if necessary, isolation of the Mugabe regime. At the same time we must protect the people of Zimbabwe who deserve to choose freely who they would like to lead their country. That choice should be respected. We will continue to highlight the issue as best we can, and work at every opportunity we can to condemn the regime and highlight the fact that the violence must stop.