Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 270: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will support the protection of fundamental human rights in Sri Lanka and work to facilitate dialogue in that country and to raise this at EU and UN level. [34861/07]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I am deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in Sri Lanka. Ireland, together with our partners in the EU, takes a close interest in the situation in that country, and in particular the disturbing level of serious human rights violations. We have consistently sought to impress on both the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam) the importance of curbing violence and human rights violations and returning to meaningful peace talks. We continue to take the firm view that there can be no military solution and urge all sides to refrain from actions that make a negotiated settlement more difficult to achieve. Ireland is fully committed to assisting the work of the Norwegian facilitator in this regard. We regret the fact that, at this point, neither party appears willing to engage in meaningful negotiations.

I welcome the recent visit to Sri Lanka of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Louise Arbour. The High Commissioner reported on her visit to the resumed 6th Session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva on 11 December 2007, where she stressed the need for an independent actor to gather information and publicly report on the human rights situation in Sri Lanka. She further suggested that the government would benefit from the support of a standing presence of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in the country. Despite discussions between the OHCHR and the Sri Lankan authorities subsequent to her visit, no agreement has been reached on possible models for a presence in that country. The OHCHR will however continue to assist the authorities in strengthening the national human rights system. Ireland continues to support calls for an OHCHR presence in Sri Lanka.

Ireland and the EU will of course take a keen interest when Sri Lanka is reviewed under the UN Human Rights Council's Universal Peer Review process in April 2008.

The situation in Sri Lanka is regularly discussed with EU partners, and the EU continues to play an active role as one of the four Co-Chairs of the 2003 Tokyo Conference on Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka. At their last meeting in June 2007, the Co-Chairs expressed their concern about the conflict and said that there can be no justification for the use of military means. Ireland, together with our EU partners, will continue to monitor developments closely and will ensure that the issue continues to receive attention in relevant international fora.