Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 581: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the current political situation in Pakistan; and if he will detail contacts he has had in the matter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1076/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Benazir Bhutto's assassination on 27 December, and the subsequent widespread violence, made clear the continuing fragile political and security situation in Pakistan. In condemning her killing, on 27 December, I exhorted the authorities to continue to ensure that Pakistan continues on the road back to democracy.

Parliamentary elections in Pakistan have now been rescheduled for 18 February. All the major political parties, including the late Benazir Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Nawaz Sharif's PML-N, have indicated that they will take part.

I very much welcome President Musharraf's promises during recent meetings in Brussels, London and Paris to hold "free, fair, transparent and peaceful" elections. He has pledged to provide details of polling stations and electoral rolls on the internet to prevent ghost stations and fraudulent votes, and has made a commitment that ballots would not be transferred to Islamabad but counted on the spot in the presence of the political parties.

However, I would continue to have some concerns regarding the conditions for elections in Pakistan. In particular, the Pakistani authorities should remove without delay restrictions on the media and freedom of expression, and release all remaining political prisoners, including members of the judiciary, lawyers, journalists and human rights defenders.

My EU colleagues and I continue to keep the situation in Pakistan under active review, most recently in discussions at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 28 January. In line with its long-term commitment to support democratisation in Pakistan, the EU will mount a full election observation mission to Pakistan, to which Ireland is contributing a number of observers.

Pakistan is a country of real strategic importance with which the EU is interested in further strengthening its relations. However, this can only be in the context of a restoration of accountable representative government, supported by the people of Pakistan.

Equally, it will be vital for any new government, in seeking to restore stability and address the security situation in that country, to have the legitimacy and credibility provided by elections that the people can have faith in.

Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 582: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on any dealings he has had with the authorities in Kenya expressing concerns regarding recent events following the elections; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1088/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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I remain deeply concerned by recent developments in Kenya, where up to 700 people have been killed and up to 250,000 displaced from their homes in the aftermath of the elections of 27 December. The situation had stabilised slightly since the initial unrest, but regrettably there have been further large-scale fatalities in recent days. The original violence was sparked by protests against the announcement of the re-election of Mr Mwai Kibaki as President following elections which the opposition, led by Mr Raila Odinga, allege were rigged.

A Panel of Eminent African Personalities, headed by former UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan, is currently attempting to mediate a political settlement between government and opposition. These efforts have made a good start, with President Kibaki and Mr. Odinga having their first face-to-face meeting since the election on 24 January in Nairobi and Mr. Annan reporting a positive discussion.

My EU colleagues and I discussed Kenya at the General Affairs and External Affairs Council in Brussels on 28 January. Council Conclusions were agreed on the way forward. These Conclusions stress the need for a political solution to the violence in Kenya, and call on all sides to give the necessary support to the mediation efforts of the Panel of Eminent African Personalities. They also stress that any solution must reflect the democratic will of the Kenyan people and that failure by Kenya's leaders to work seriously for a political resolution at this time is likely to have implications for future EU-Kenya relations.

Senior officials from my Department have held meetings in relation to the situation with the Kenyan Ambassador in Dublin, and have conveyed to her the Government's serious concerns, including in regard to the situation of human rights defenders.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has also updated its consular advice in light of the current situation and is advising against any non-essential travel to Kenya at present. This advice will obviously be kept under close review.

Ireland is a significant humanitarian donor to Kenya. Since 2006, Irish Aid has provided just under €6 million in humanitarian funding for Kenya. In addition to this, Irish Aid has provided over €16 million in funding since 2006 to Irish, international and local NGOs, as well as missionaries, working in Kenya, including World Vision, Trócaire, and Concern. Earlier this month, I announced an extra €1million in humanitarian funding for Kenya to be distributed through Irish NGOs there. I will continue to monitor the situation closely.