Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 90: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the re-opening of diplomatic ties between the EU and Uzbekistan, the welcoming of the Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev to the EU in November 2006 and the planned meeting with the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev, in the EU capital in December 2006; the implications of these meetings for the EU's Central Asia policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39581/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will recall that in May 2005 several hundred people died during demonstrations in the town of Andijan in Uzbekistan. As a result of the Uzbek authorities' refusal to allow an independent international enquiry into the events there, and in light of the excessive and indiscriminate use of force by the Uzbek security forces during those events, the EU imposed a series of measures on Uzbekistan on October 2005. These included an embargo on arms exports, a visa ban on named officials involved in the events at Andijan and its aftermath, and a suspension of technical meetings of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, which is the framework governing the EU's relations with Uzbekistan. However, diplomatic ties were not broken off.

Contacts with the Uzbek authorities in recent weeks indicated that they may now be willing to begin to address the EU's concerns. At a Cooperation Council on 8 November, Uzbekistan offered to host a meeting (before the end of the year) of EU and Uzbek experts to discuss the Andijan events. They also proposed that the EU and Uzbekistan open a regular dialogue on human rights. While the EU remains profoundly concerned about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan, it considers that the opening to dialogue on the side of Uzbekistan offers the opportunity to bring Uzbekistan into compliance with the principles of respect for human rights, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms. The EU has therefore agreed to resume the technical meetings of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement. The arms embargo and visa ban remain in force and will be reviewed again in 3 months in light of developments.

The visit of President Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan to Brussels should be seen in the context of the EU's growing relationship with Central Asia. One of the priorities of the Germany Presidency of the EU in the first half of 2007 will be to launch an EU strategy for Central Asia, having regard to the rising importance of the region. This stems from a recognition of the strategic location of Central Asia as a cross-roads between Europe and Asia, its importance as an energy provider for Europe and the EU's desire to help the countries of the region in their ongoing development. Discussion of the new approach to Central Asia within the EU is still at an early stage and Ireland is contributing to this process. Visits such as those of the President of Kazakhstan, and the increasing tempo of high level EU delegations visiting the region generally should help to ensure that the EU has an adequate understanding of conditions and needs in the region, on which to base its new strategy.

The visit of President Aliyev of Azerbaijan to Brussels in November came just before the signing of European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plans by the three South Caucasus countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia) on 14 November. These set out the reform and development aims of the three countries and indicate the assistance the EU will provide to these countries over the next 5 years. As with Central Asia, the EU is becoming increasingly engaged with the South Caucasus region and the signing of Action Plans with the three countries represents a significant stepping up of the EU's activities there. While in Brussels President Aliyev met with Commission President Barroso and signed a Memorandum of Understanding on energy cooperation with the EU.

Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 94: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if and when Ireland will ratify the four United Nations Conventions which deal with the law of the sea, dating back to 1958; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39529/06]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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The four United Nations Law of the Sea Conventions of 1958 to which the Deputy refers are: the Convention on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone; the Convention on the High Seas; the Convention on Fishing and Conservation of the Living Resources of the High Seas; and the Convention on the Continental Shelf.

These Conventions were superseded by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea adopted on 10 December 1982, which was signed by Ireland on that date and ratified on 21 June 1996. This Convention resolved a number of crucial issues which were unresolved under its 1958 predecessors and is universally regarded as a comprehensive constitution for the governance of oceans and seas.

Accordingly, it is not appropriate or necessary for the State to become party to the 1958 Conventions.