Mark Daly (Fianna Fail)

I rise to address some of the issues, particularly the human rights protocol attached to the external trade agreements, raised by the independent Senators. The Israeli Ambassador came before the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, where he received quite a questioning. The same week, a motion by Fianna Fáil Deputies was put before the Joint Committee on European Scrutiny in which we asked that the EU be forced to put this on the agenda. We have asked that the UN Secretary General carry out a report. We should take the issue away from the EU, which obviously has a vested interest, and let the UN Secretary General make a determination. However, we are alone in the wilderness; there are few supporting us. The big nations in Europe stand idly by on this issue, which is worrying. Nonetheless, it is worthwhile to pursue it.