Written answers

Tuesday, 24 March 2009

Department of Foreign Affairs

Foreign Conflicts

9:00 pm

Photo of James BannonJames Bannon (Longford-Westmeath, Fine Gael)
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Question 599: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps he is taking to bring about a ceasefire in the north-east of Sri Lanka to alleviate the threat to innocent civilians who are trapped in a region of just over 300 square kilometres and under fire from their own Government; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12018/09]

Photo of Micheál MartinMicheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I utterly deplore the horrific humanitarian situation which exists in parts of war-torn northern Sri Lanka.

According to recent reports, more than 2,800 civilians may have been killed and 7,000 others wounded in fighting between the Government of Sri Lanka and the rebel LTTE over the last two months. Hundreds of children are believed to have died and more than a thousand have been injured. UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Navi Pillay, has said that 'certain actions being undertaken by the Sri Lankan military and by the LTTE may constitute violations of international human rights and humanitarian law', citing repeated shelling by government forces of safe zones set up to protect civilians and reports of the LTTE holding civilians as human shields and blocking those who try to flee. The LTTE actions, the Commissioner suggested, should be examined to see if they constitute war crimes.

I have been following the situation with grave concern. In a statement issued on 8 February, and in reply to Parliamentary Questions on 10 and 12 February, I called for an immediate cessation of hostilities and for full access to be granted for humanitarian relief.

Since then, at our meeting on 23 February my EU Foreign Minister colleagues and I expressed our deep concern about the evolving humanitarian crisis in the northern part of the country and the vast number of Internally Displaced People trapped by the fighting there, as well as the continuing reports of high civilian casualties.

In particular, we stressed the need for both the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE to comply with the provisions of international humanitarian law and the principles of the laws of war. We called for an immediate cease-fire to facilitate full and unrestricted access to the conflict area, allowing humanitarian aid to be safely delivered and civilians to leave. We condemned the use of violence and intimidation by the LTTE to prevent civilians from leaving the conflict area and urged the Sri Lankan Government to ensure that the temporary camps for IDPs and the screening process for access to them are in compliance with international standards and that independent monitoring is allowed. We also called on the Sri Lankan authorities to take decisive action to tackle human rights abuses and to guarantee press freedom.

I underscored these points to the Sri Lankan Ambassador when I met him on 25 February. I spoke to him in particular about our deep concerns in relation to the humanitarian situation in the country, which is affecting not only Tamil civilians but the entire population. I also stressed the importance of addressing the underlying causes of the conflict through a comprehensive, negotiated, political settlement.

Our concerns about the serious humanitarian situation have been repeated at international fora since then, most recently in the Irish statement to the 10th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, which was delivered on 16 March last. EU Foreign Ministers also discussed the situation in Sri Lanka again at the GAERC meeting in Brussels on the same day.

We continue to take the firm view that there can be no lasting military solution to Sri Lanka's political difficulties. A lasting peace settlement will require reconciliation and a political process aimed at protecting the interests of all the citizens of Sri Lanka and enshrining the principle of parity of esteem among its divided communities. Should the relevant parties seek our advice in relation to a negotiated peace process, we would give consideration as to how we could best help.

Since 2005, the Government has provided, through Irish Aid, more than €5.3 million for humanitarian and development activities in Sri Lanka. Over US$12 million was allocated to Sri Lanka in 2008 from the UN's Central Emergency Response Fund, to which Ireland is currently the seventh largest donor.

In addition to our regular un-earmarked funding to the Red Cross — one of the key organisations at the centre of the response to the humanitarian crisis — the Government, through Irish Aid, is monitoring closely the humanitarian situation in northern Sri Lanka. The possible provision of emergency funding is kept under constant review.

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