Damien English (Meath, Fine Gael)
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Question 138: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the situation in Sudan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6840/06]

Breeda Moynihan-Cronin (Kerry South, Labour)
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Question 169: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's position with respect to the proposed engagement of United Nations forces in Darfur, western Sudan, in particular if it has formed a view of the optimal relationship of such a force to the current African Union deployment; if he will make available a copy of the review conducted on the operation of the AU mission completed in January 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6999/06]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 241: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which achievements have been made in respect of the alleviation of starvation or strife in Darfur; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7426/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 138, 169 and 241 together.

In the past year, there has been progress in stabilising the long-running conflict between the north and the south of Sudan. A comprehensive peace agreement was signed in Nairobi on 9 January 2005. Following a delay due to the accidental death of southern leader and First Vice President John Garang in July, a Government of National Unity was formed in September on foot of the new constitution. The interim constitution for South Sudan was also finalised and an autonomous regional Government of South Sudan established on 22 October. Both President Bashir of the National Congress Party and First Vice President Salva Kiir, on behalf of the south, have expressed their desire to implement the comprehensive peace agreement and, to date, there has been good progress on the implementation of technical and institutional aspects. However, the Government of National Unity needs to be strengthened. The two main coalition partners need to work together to address some major unresolved issues such as the effective and transparent sharing of oil revenues.

The complexity and difficulty of the situation in the south of the country should not be underestimated. The south of Sudan is very underdeveloped, especially as regards infrastructure and basic services such as health care. It will take several years before essential services can be provided in most areas by the new Government of South Sudan, which currently lacks capacity at every level. In the meantime, millions of Sudanese in the south must continue to depend on humanitarian assistance.

Simmering tensions in eastern Sudan also represent a risk to the stability of the country. Efforts by various international and regional parties have not yet succeeded in launching a comprehensive negotiation process.

The spill-over into Darfur of Chad's internal instability has added a dangerous regional dimension to the crisis in western Sudan. With our partners in the EU, Ireland welcomed the 8 February agreement between Sudan and Chad which should contribute to a reduction of violence in the Darfur region.

The humanitarian situation in Darfur remains a matter of great concern to the Government. Over 70% of greater Darfur's estimated population of 6.5 million has been directly or indirectly affected by the conflict and some 2.5 million people require food assistance. The volatile security situation means that both local and displaced populations in conflict-affected areas are unable to plant or harvest crops. Regional cereal production has been badly affected and markets no longer function in many remote pastoral areas. Even if people are able to return to their homes, the destruction of seeds and farm implements has been on such a scale as to make short-term recovery extremely challenging. The World Food Programme, WFP, has indicated that prevalent and ongoing insecurity in south and west Darfur during January of this year prevented it from reaching some 223,000 vulnerable beneficiaries during the month.

At the Oslo International Donors Conference in April 2005, Ireland pledged support of €15 million to Sudan over the next two years, €9.8 million of which was provided in 2005. In 2006, Ireland will collaborate with a number of donor partners to provide funding directly to the UN humanitarian co-ordinator in Sudan. This will enable the co-ordinator to receive predictable funding which he will, in turn, earmark for the most urgent priority activities within the UN work plan for 2006. In addition, Ireland will continue to provide funding support for emergency and recovery activities to our other partners in the UN and NGOs. It is clear, however, that only a political solution to the problems of Darfur will lead to a lasting solution to the humanitarian crisis in the region.

Therefore, early and successful conclusion of the peace negotiations taking place in Abuja, Nigeria, under the auspices of the African Union, AU, is essential. While progress has been slow overall, the pace has quickened. If the necessary political goodwill is demonstrated, final results could be reached by the end of March 2006. Therefore, I call on all parties to show their commitment to peace in Darfur by giving their full commitment to the talks and negotiating positively and flexibly. The parties must also immediately halt all violations of their cease-fire agreements, especially attacks on AMIS and humanitarian convoys. Violations of the UN arms embargo on Darfur must also be stopped.

The Government, with our partners in the EU, has fully supported the AU's role in Darfur. In 2004-05, Ireland contributed €1.5 million to humanitarian, human rights and policing aspects of the AU's AMIS mission alongside over €160 million in support from the EU through the African Peace Facility. AMIS has been valuable in creating a favourable environment for the political process and in stabilising the security situation. Following a meeting on 12 January, at which the AU Peace and Security Commission, PSC, expressed its support for transition of AMIS to the UN, the PSC chairperson initiated contacts with the UN and other partners with a view to consolidating the successes of AMIS by ensuring the sustainability of the operation. On 3 February the UN Security Council requested the UN Secretary General to work with the AU and the parties to the Abuja talks to draw up contingency plans for a transition to a UN peacekeeping operation in Darfur. The AU PSC is scheduled to meet again at the beginning of March. I hope on that occasion they will be in a position to initiate formally the process of transition to a UN-led force. To ensure that AMIS is provided with sufficient funding in the interim, a donors' conference is planned for 8 March 2006 in Brussels.

I will provide Deputy Moynihan-Cronin with a copy of a report by the AU Commission, which summarises the recommendations of the December 2005 AU-led joint assessment mission which reviewed the operations of AMIS. A follow-up mechanism to implement these recommendations is being established by the AU.