Jim O'Keeffe (Cork South West, Fine Gael)
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Question 285: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the aerial bombing, shelling and killing of Tamil civilians in Sri Lanka; the steps he will take of a humanitarian nature through the EU and the UN to encourage a political solution to the problems in Sri Lanka. [3166/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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As I stated in reply to a Parliamentary Question on 27 January, I am deeply concerned by the escalation in fighting which has taken place in recent months in the northern part of Sri Lanka and by the terrible effects it is having on the local population.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed that, following intensified fighting between the Sri Lankan security forces and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), hundreds of people have been killed and scores of wounded are overwhelming under-staffed and ill-equipped medical facilities in Sri Lanka's northern Vanni region.

The overall humanitarian situation remains critical. An estimated 250,000 people are trapped in a 250 square-kilometre area which has been the site of intense fighting and has come under intensive aerial bombardment by the Sri Lankan military. They have no safe area in which to take shelter and are unable to flee. There also seems to be evidence to suggest that even seriously injured civilians, including women and children, are being blocked by the LTTE from leaving the Vanni area to receive medical treatment and humanitarian assistance. There are also reports that the LTTE are seeking to force the local population into joining them.

I fully support the call, made on 26 January by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, on both the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka to accord immediate and absolute priority to ensuring the protection and well-being of civilians, including humanitarian aid workers, in the Vanni region. The Government and the LTTE must ensure that all people, including the displaced, are treated in accordance with international humanitarian law. Both sides must respect "no-fire zones", "safe areas" and civilian infrastructure, including schools, medical facilities and humanitarian facilities and assets.

Bilaterally, and with our EU partners, Ireland has consistently sought to impress on both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE the importance of engaging in meaningful peace talks and stopping all violence and human rights violations. We deeply regret the termination of the 2002 Ceasefire Agreement between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE last year. We continue to take the firm view that there can be no lasting military solution to Sri Lanka's political difficulties.

As one of the four co-chairs of the 2003 Tokyo Conference on the Reconstruction and Development of Sri Lanka, the EU has been anxious to maintain an active role in assisting the country to resolve its internal conflicts, work on national reconciliation and move forward on the development agenda. Following a meeting of the Co-Chairs of the Conference on 24 September last, the Presidency expressed again its concern in relation to human rights and the plight of civilian populations isolated by combat in the north of the country. It called on the parties involved to respect the fundamental principles of international humanitarian law and noted the obligation of the Sri Lankan Government to ensure protection of its civilians and to meet their needs.

The Government will continue to support the efforts of the UN and the EU to address the difficult political and humanitarian situation in Sri Lanka.

Since 2005, the Government has provided, through Irish Aid, more than €5.3 million for humanitarian and development activities in Sri Lanka, including significant emergency assistance provided in the aftermath of the tsunami in 2004. In addition, over US$12 million was allocated from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund to Sri Lanka during 2008. Ireland is currently the seventh largest donor to this Fund.

Irish Aid recently provided €7 million in un-earmarked funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), one of the key organisations at the centre of the response to the current humanitarian crisis in the Vanni region.