Brian O'Shea (Waterford, Labour)
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Question 140: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on reports that EU Foreign Ministers are planning to write a joint letter to the new US President setting out the ways in which they hope the EU-US relationship can develop under a new presidency; and the principles being applied in the preparation of its contribution to this letter on the part of Ireland. [38376/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The election of a new Administration in the US provides a clear opportunity to re-assess and re-energise the transatlantic relationship. Under the French Presidency, the EU has been giving active consideration to this and Foreign Ministers have twice discussed what should be the priorities in our relations with the new Administration, most recently at a meeting which I attended in Marseilles on Monday. This non-exhaustive list of priorities will be conveyed to the President-elect.

There is agreement within the EU that there needs to be genuine dialogue and cooperation with the new Administration on all the major global issues we face — from climate change, food and energy security, through to the Middle East, Iran, and Russia. It is clear that an intensification of efforts to achieve progress towards a two-State solution in the Middle East must be a new priority for future EU-US cooperation. We must also work to encourage the US to engage more actively in multilateral fora.

At Monday's meeting, I stressed the importance of encouraging the new Administration to demonstrate movement on issues fundamental to our shared values — such as the closure of Guantánamo. In relation to Guantánamo, we must recognise that our joint efforts to combat terrorism and our work in upholding human rights require the early resolution of this contentious issue. I also called for human rights, a cornerstone of Irish and EU foreign policy, to be given due prominence in the EU-US dialogue.