Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 313: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will focus the attention of the UN and EU on the tragedy taking place among the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo; if he will support the Congolese community here in their demands; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27340/06]

Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 318: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will withdraw support to the structures leading the Democratic Republic of Congo and restrain their help to the minimum through serious non-governmental organisations operating in the country; if he will request the trial of all the criminals involved in the Congo tragedy; if he will not recognise the Government in place in Kinshasa; if he will request the Government and fellow EU members to withdraw their 2000 soldiers sent to protect the regime currently in place, against the will of the Congolese citizens; if he will further request the departure of all Rwandese citizens occupying huge eastern portions of the Congo national territory since the assassination of a person (details supplied); if he will request that the UN, EU and other international organisations recognise the Congo tragedy as a crime against humanity and commemorate it as it does with the Holocaust of the Jewish people; and if he will ask the Government to use the clean and humane image of the country to ensure that the Congo tragedy will not be forgotten by the world. [27566/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 313 and 318 together.

The situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is a matter of high priority for Ireland, the EU and the United Nations. Since the 2002 Sun City peace accords, major strides have been made in re-establishing a democratic and effective system of government in the DRC. The Transitional National Government and Parliament have operated effectively since 2003. A new Constitution was approved by an overwhelmingly majority in a referendum held in December 2005 and was formally promulgated on 18 February 2006.

Presidential and parliamentary elections are now scheduled to take place on 30 July 2006. These will be the first multi-party elections in the DRC in over forty years. A total of 33 candidates will contest the presidency while some 260 political parties and over 9,300 candidates will compete for the 500 legislative seats in the new parliament. Over 25 million people out of an estimated potential electorate of 28 million have registered to vote. Successfully conducted elections are absolutely critical to the consolidation of peace and security in the DRC and in the Great Lakes Region as a whole. It is essential that all parties in the DRC should respect the verdict of the Congolese people, when delivered on 30 July, and work together subsequently to further national reconciliation and build a more stable and prosperous country. The international community, including Ireland and its EU partners, is investing heavily in ensuring that the forthcoming elections are successful, given the major organisational challenge they represent for a country the size of western Europe with extremely poor basic infrastructure and ongoing security problems. The EU and its Member States alone are contributing some €235 million towards the overall cost of the elections which are estimated at well over $300 million. The EU will also deploy a 250-strong electoral observation mission, including two observers from Ireland, to monitor the elections.

Nationally, Ireland is also actively supporting the electoral process in the DRC. The Government has contributed a total of €1.3 million in support of the DRC elections. The Government has also decided to provide five Permanent Defence Force personnel to serve with the EUFOR RDC mission which the EU is deploying, at UN request, to provide support, if required, to the UN MONUC peace-keeping mission during the electoral period. Ireland also provides three members of the PDF who serve with MONUC.

The DRC will continue to face considerable challenges in the post-election period and it will be important for the international community to remain engaged in support. Greater progress needs to be made in tackling impunity and establishing an effective system of justice. The DRC government and its armed forces need to continue collaborating closely with MONUC in confronting and removing the threat posed by illegal armed militias in eastern DRC. Particular challenges will be security sector reform and completing the integration of national armed and police forces. The EU is already offering extensive support in this area though the EUSEC and EUPOL ESDP missions. The successful holding of the second Summit of the Great Lakes Conference, now provisionally scheduled for next December in Nairobi, would also help to underpin security in the DRC and throughout the region. A UN Security Council mission visited the DRC last month and raised some of these themes in its discussions with the DRC government and parties.

Up to five million people have died from the direct or indirect consequences of the conflict in DRC since 1998. There are over 1.6 million displaced persons in the country while 80% of the population live below the absolute poverty line. The UN has launched a 2006 Action Plan for the DRC that calls for €570 million in funding for humanitarian programmes. Since 2002 the Government has contributed over €11 million for emergency and recovery activities in the DRC, almost €5 million of which has been provided to date in 2006. This funding is provided via Irish NGOs such as TROCAIRE and OXFAM Ireland and international organisations such as the UN World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF and UNHCR, not directly to the Government of the DRC. Since Ireland recognises States, not Governments, the issue of withdrawal of recognition from the Government of the DRC does not arise. Officials from my Department meet regularly with representatives from the Congolese community living in Ireland to brief them on Ireland's position in relation to the DRC.