Olwyn Enright (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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Question 140: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the diplomatic ties Ireland has with Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador; if many Irish citizens reside in these countries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10337/08]

Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland is accredited to Venezuela and Colombia through our Ambassador to Mexico on a non-residential basis. Our Ambassador presented his credentials to the Colombian President, Mr. Álvaro Uribe, in Bogotá in February 2006 and to the then Venezuelan Vice President, Mr José Vicente Rangel, in Caracas in May 2006. The Ambassadors of Venezuela and Colombia in London are also accredited to Ireland on a non-residential basis. Diplomatic relations, without an exchange of Ambassadors, were established with Ecuador in 1999 by means of an exchange of notes at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The Government has appointed an Honorary Consul, Ms. Dominique Kennedy, in Quito.

Ireland's relations with Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador are conducted primarily in the multilateral context, in particular through the framework of the EU-Latin America and Caribbean (EU-LAC), as well as the EU-Rio Group, strategic dialogues. The most recent Government-level contact in the multilateral context took place at the Fourth EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit in Vienna on 12th May 2006, at which sixty EU and Latin American and Caribbean Heads of State or Government were present. The Taoiseach and then Minister of State Noel Treacy represented Ireland at the Summit. The Fifth EU-Latin America and Caribbean Summit will take place in Lima on 16 May 2008. Regular meetings at senior official level are held between representatives of all EU and Latin American and Caribbean States, most recently in Brussels on 7-8 February, 2008.

In relation to the number of Irish citizens resident in the countries under reference, 34 Irish citizens resident in Colombia and 60 resident in Venezuela have registered with our Embassy in Mexico City, which, as indicated above, is accredited to both the aforementioned countries. In relation to Ecuador, a total of 46 citizens have registered with our Honorary Consul. However, as the Deputy may be aware, registration with our Missions abroad is entirely voluntary, so the true number of Irish citizens in each country may well be larger.

Ireland, along with our EU partners, is concerned about the recent tension between Colombia, Venezuela and Ecuador. This tension has arisen following the killing of members of the left-wing guerrilla group, the Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC) including senior FARC commander Raul Reyes, by the Colombian military in Ecuadorian territory. The EU Presidency, on behalf of Member States, issued a declaration on 5 March urging all parties involved to show restraint and to avoid any further escalation of the current situation. The Presidency encouraged all countries involved to seek, through dialogue, a political solution. Following an emergency meeting of the Organisation of American States (OAS) on 5 March, a mandate was given for a delegation, headed by the OAS Secretary General, to travel to the border region of Ecuador and Colombia in order to prepare a report which will be considered by a meeting of OAS Foreign Ministers in Washington on 17 March.