Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 9: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the result of his meeting with representatives from Amnesty International on 8 November 2006; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39505/06]

Trevor Sargent (Dublin North, Green Party)
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Question 99: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his 8 November 2006 meeting with Amnesty International Secretary General Irene Khan; the subjects discussed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39586/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 9 and 99 together.

I met the Secretary General of Amnesty International, Ms. Irene Khan, in London on Wednesday 8 November. The meeting was a useful opportunity to exchange views and discuss common ground with one of the leading global human rights organisations. Our discussions centred on the situation in Darfur and the role of the new United Nations Human Rights Council.

On Darfur, I briefed Ms. Khan on my visit to the region last July and on my discussions with the Sudanese Foreign Minister then and in September. I also recalled that I had highlighted the situation in Darfur in my address to the UN General Assembly. I expressed my serious concern at the ongoing human rights violations in the region and assured Ms. Khan that Ireland would continue to do all it can at an international level to bring these gross human rights violations to an end, above all through achieving agreement on a robust peace-keeping force. Ms. Khan gave me an account of Amnesty's important work in relation to Darfur. She emphasised the important role of the Egyptian Government and it was partly in response to her suggestion that, as indicated in my earlier reply, I recently wrote to my Egyptian colleague.

On the UN Human Rights Council, which was established earlier this year, we exchanged views on the early stages of its operation. Ms. Khan outlined Amnesty's view of the challenges facing the Council. I reiterated Ireland's support for an active presence for civil society at the Council and we discussed practical ways in which this might be facilitated.

We also discussed briefly the situation in the Middle East and the recent deployment of Irish troops to Lebanon as part of the UNIFIL mission.

I also availed of the meeting to underline Ireland's strong and forceful opposition to the practice of extraordinary rendition, which Ms. Khan acknowledged.