Michael Mullins (Fine Gael)

I join Senator Darragh O'Brien in welcoming our Bahraini visitors to the House and support the call for justice for the medics who are to go on trial later this week. I am sure the Taoiseach and Tánaiste would very much support the call being made in the House today.

Furthermore, on a humanitarian basis, I wish to call for a debate in this House on the worsening situation in Syria.

We are all appalled by television images night after night showing loss of life, torture and the murder of innocent children in Syria. We are seeing man's inhumanity to man at its very worst. It is becoming apparent that the peace plan of UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, is not working despite the best efforts of his peace envoy, Mr. Kofi Annan. As many commentators have noted, there is a real danger that should there be a sectarian civil war in Syria, it could be as bloody as what happened in Bosnia in the 1990s. The efforts of the international community are totally insufficient. Given that Ireland has some experience in resolving sectarian conflict, holds the chair of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and will assume the Presidency of the European Union in January, it would be appropriate for the House to discuss this pressing issue. The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade will be aware of the strength of feeling in the Seanad on developments in Syria. We must do everything possible to bring about a peaceful resolution to the bloody conflict that has already claimed many thousands of lives and which will, if not resolved, result in an horrific, bloody civil war that could cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.