Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 249: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has had discussions recently with his EU colleagues in the matter of combating terrorism; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7434/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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My colleague, the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, is primarily responsible for the integrity and security of the State. He oversees the assessments which the Garda Síochána makes and the operational measures which it takes in relation to terrorism. In addition, as a member of the EU's Justice and Home Affairs Council, he participates in the taking of decisions and the adoption of measures aimed at dealing with terrorism and the terrorist threat within the European Union.

International terrorism is a phenomenon which carries potentially deadly consequences for the lives of people throughout the whole world and has grave implications for diplomatic relations and the maintenance of international peace and security. As such, it is a subject of serious concern to me and to my colleagues, the ministers of foreign affairs of the member states of the European Union. I have engaged with them regularly on the topic, especially in the course of my role as envoy of the UN Secretary General in advance of the UN world summit in September 2005, as well as through the work of the General Affairs and External Relations Council, GAERC, of the European Union.

As envoy, I presented the UN Secretary General's plans for UN reform to all of my EU colleagues. I stressed the importance of confronting on a global basis the problems presented by international terrorism, which, if left unresolved, had the capacity to impact negatively on security, development and human rights. In working to seek agreement on the summit outcome, Ireland was particularly committed to developing a global counter-terrorism strategy centred on the development of the so-called "5 Ds" outlined in the Secretary General's address in Madrid in March 2005, namely: dissuading people from resorting to terrorism or supporting it; denying terrorists access to funds and materials; deterring states from sponsoring terrorism; developing state capacity to defend terrorism; and defending human rights.

Together with our EU partners, we are committed to seeking agreement on a comprehensive convention on international terrorism during the 60th General Assembly of the United Nations. Within the EU, developments on terrorism have been dominated by the reaction to the London bombings of 7 July last. On 13 July, the Justice and Home Affairs Council adopted a declaration setting out priority measures aimed at accelerating action against terrorism within the Union's borders.

On 18 July, I participated in a meeting of the GAERC which adopted conclusions addressing the external relations aspects of the EU's campaign against terrorism. The Council emphasised the need to keep counter-terrorism as a focus.

On 18 July, I participated in a meeting of the GAERC which adopted conclusions addressing the external relations aspects of the EU's campaign against terrorism. The Council emphasised the need to keep counter-terrorism as a focus in the Union's foreign policy. In addition to action at the UN level, Ministers stressed their wish to maintain counter-terrorism at the heart of the Union's dialogue with third countries and of stepping up the provision of technical assistance in combating terrorism.

In the months that followed, a number of strategies and documents were developed under the UK Presidency which enhanced the Union's capacity to deal with particular aspects of terrorism. At the GAERC in December 2005, I participated in reaching agreement on three particularly significant measures: a strategy for the external dimension of the EU's area of global freedom, security and justice; a comprehensive EU strategy and action plan on counter-terrorism measures; a detailed EU strategy on combating radicalisation and recruitment to terrorism.

Ministers also considered and agreed a report on the implementation of the EU action plan on combating terrorism over the previous six months. All of these measures were then transmitted by the Council to the European Council, where they were duly adopted by the Heads of State and Government.

In all of these engagements with my EU colleagues and with colleagues outside the European Union, I have stressed that terrorism can never be justified no matter the cause or the reason. At the same time, I have maintained that respect for human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law must be observed at all times in the fight against terrorism. I have also emphasised that it is not enough to look to the security dimension of the fight against terrorism. Political solutions are needed to the underlying problems that give rise to, or can give rise to, terrorism. I will continue to pursue this approach.