Mary Upton (Dublin South Central, Labour)
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Question 25: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his recent meeting with Foreign Secretary Miliband during his recent visit to Dublin; the matters which were discussed during their interview; if matters related to Northern Ireland and the Lisbon reform treaty were touched on; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34185/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I met with the British Foreign Secretary, David Miliband, on 11 September when we had substantive discussions on a wide range of European and international issues, including the Lisbon Treaty, Climate Change, the Millennium Development Goals, Zimbabwe, the Middle East, Iran and the conflict between Georgia and Russia. We also briefly touched on the Northern Ireland situation.

With regard to the Lisbon Treaty, I briefed the Foreign Secretary in detail on the results of the study conducted for the Government following the result of the referendum, and also on plans for the establishment of the Oireachtas sub-Committee on Ireland's future in the European Union. Our discussion looked forward to next week's European Council, at which the Taoiseach will brief his colleagues on developments since our referendum. I took the opportunity of the meeting with the Foreign Secretary to thank him for his Government's strong support for Ireland within the EU following the referendum on the Lisbon Treaty in June.

We reviewed progress towards the formation of a power-sharing government in Zimbabwe — the meeting took place before the broad agreement reached between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, which remains to be implemented. In regard to the Middle East, we agreed that it was important to maintain such progress as has been made in the Annapolis process, with a view to building on it once political conditions allow. We discussed the implementation of the six-point peace plan for Georgia brokered by the French EU Presidency, and the future of wider EU-Russia relations. The Foreign Secretary also briefed me on discussions on the Iranian nuclear issue within the E3 + 3 grouping. A further UN Security Council resolution has since been agreed.

Co-operation between our two countries is excellent. It owes much to the close and sustained contact between the Irish and British Governments over the past eleven years of working together, building peace and bringing devolution to Northern Ireland.