Róisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Labour)
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Question 106: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the ongoing civil war in Iraq. [18670/07]

Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour)
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Question 145: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the ongoing military engagements on the Iraq Turkey border between Turkish forces and Kurdish separatists; the action the European Union proposes to take to end bloodshed; the discussions it may have entered into with the Turkish government; and the action the occupying forces in Iraq have undertaken to take with regard to this issue. [18665/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 106, 109 and 145 together.

The Government remains gravely concerned by the horrific violence in Iraq. The violence has effectively stalled the political process and continues to threaten the stability of the region.

There are no simple solutions to the chaos across large areas of Iraq. The situation is now extremely complex, involving many different groups, with diverse motivations, seeking to assert local control or to prevent the Iraqi Government from establishing effective administration. Much of the violence is sectarian in nature, and involves indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Recent attacks have included more massive car bombs against ordinary rush hour commuters in Baghdad, horrific sectarian murders and a further bomb attack on the Shia shrine in Samarra whose partial destruction last year helped provoke the current spiral of violence. It is clear that the objective of many of these attacks is to provoke sectarian retaliation, generate further divisions in Iraqi society and undermine any prospect of a stable and prosperous future for the Iraqi people.

As Deputies are aware, US and Iraqi forces have launched a stepped-up security campaign, particularly in Baghdad and neighbouring provinces. The intention is to secure areas from armed militias and establish firm government control, which inevitably entails an increase in fighting in the short term. It will be some time before a clear judgment can be made as to whether these operations can achieve any lasting success. There are reports that cooperation by local leaders with the Iraqi Government has brought some improvement in security in Anbar Province, which includes most of western Iraq, but it remains to be seen if this can be sustained. Last week's terrible bomb attack in Baghdad, which took the lives of a number of the Sunni leaders involved in this effort, was a stark reminder of the dangers facing Iraqis working to end the violence.

The situation in the northern, Kurdish area of the country has in general been more stable than elsewhere. The separate military campaign by the Turkish Army against the armed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in South Eastern Turkey has raised serious concern about a possible spillover into Northern Iraq, where PKK units maintain bases close to the border. There have been frequent suggestions in recent months that the Turkish Army might launch an attack into Northern Iraq in order to destroy these bases. It is clear that such a move could result in a wider conflict in the Kurdish provinces of Iraq and contribute to further regional instability. So far, although low level clashes along the border have continued, there has been no substantial Turkish incursion. The EU and others have urged Turkey not to launch any such operation, a message which the Government fully endorse.

The Government has emphasised consistently that security operations in Iraq will only succeed in the longer term in the context of a broadly political approach, involving a process of political reconciliation between all communities within a unified Iraq. In particular, it remains essential to work creatively to engage the Sunni community in the political system, especially through the review of provisions of the democratically-approved Constitution for Iraq. It is very disappointing that the campaign of violence and the internal differences within and between the many parties in Iraq's national Government seem to have impeded the bold action the situation surely calls for.

The only way forward for Iraq is through the establishment of shared institutions, the maintenance of the unity of the country and the development of a meaningful regional perspective. Recent meetings of Iraq and its neighbours in the region, and the launch by Iraq and the UN of the International Compact for Iraq, may be important steps in developing a regional approach to resolving this conflict, but it is critical that the pledges made be lived up to. There is a clear obligation on all parties regionally and internationally to co-operate to end this nightmare situation for the Iraqi people.

The principal concern of the Government and our EU partners remains the welfare of the Iraqi people. The EU has provided over €700 million in assistance for reconstruction since 2003. In January, the Government announced a further €3 million in assistance for the victims of the violence, in particular the large numbers who have been forced to flee their homes, and are internally displaced in Iraq or have become refugees abroad. This represents a substantial addition to the €7.9 million already provided by the Government for humanitarian assistance in Iraq. In March we also announced the allocation of a further €100,000 to support the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq.