Paul Gogarty (Dublin Mid West, Green Party)
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Question 105: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his official meeting in Dublin in December 2006 with the Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4283/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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President Mubarak visited Ireland on 6-7 December 2006, the first visit ever by a Head of State of the Arab Republic of Egypt. He was accompanied by an important Ministerial delegation, including Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit and Trade and Industry Minister Rasheid. The programme for the President's visit included meetings with President McAleese and with the Taoiseach, and a Ministerial meeting, which I chaired, on the development of trade and economic relations between Ireland and Egypt.

I also met with President Mubarak on the morning of 7 December. We discussed the Middle East Peace Process and other regional developments, and I raised the continuing crisis in Darfur. We also agreed to intensify efforts to develop bilateral economic relations, and I followed up on this further during my meetings in Cairo last week.

We agreed on the urgent need to revive a credible process for a comprehensive settlement of the interlinked problems of the Middle East. At its heart must be a negotiated two-State solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the absence of which is a major factor in the increasing tensions and violence across the region. I assured the President of the Government's active engagement directly with the parties, and in cooperation with our EU partners, in the promotion of urgent movement towards a just and lasting peace. We also discussed the situation in Lebanon and agreed on the need for firm international support for the full implementation of Security Council Resolution 1701, and for the sovereignty and independence of the country. We reviewed the grave political and security situation in Iraq and developments in relation to Iran.

I emphasised to the President the very serious concern of the Government and people of Ireland at the continuing humanitarian crisis in Darfur. I urged him to maintain Egypt's efforts to bring the parties together and encouraged him to continue to support the active engagement of the African Union and the Arab League in promoting a political settlement and an end to the terrible suffering in Darfur.

Ciarán Cuffe (Dún Laoghaire, Green Party)
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Question 106: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the agenda for his St. Patrick's Day visit to the United States; the meetings he will be having concerning undocumented Irish in the United States; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4278/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am currently scheduled to accompany the Taoiseach to Washington for a number of high level meetings over the St. Patrick's Day period, including with President Bush and Members of Congress. I will also participate in the traditional ceremonies at the White House and on Capitol Hill, where discussions will cover bilateral issues of mutual interest, including the peace process and immigration reform. While the detailed agenda for the visit has not been finalised, I would emphasise that, as on all my past visits, I will be prioritising the plight of the undocumented.