Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick East, Labour)
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Question 106: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding the situation in Guinea; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41938/09]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Government is greatly concerned by recent events in the Republic of Guinea, notably the violent crackdown by security forces on political demonstrations in Conakry on 28 September 2009. There, the armed forces opened fire on a crowd of unarmed protestors, killing 150 and injuring over a thousand. In the days following, there were reports of widespread rape and looting by soldiers.

While we have few direct bilateral connections with Guinea, we fully support efforts by the European Union to promote peace and political progress there. On behalf of the EU, the Swedish Presidency on 29 September issued a statement strongly condemning the violence and deploring the loss of life. The Presidency called on the authorities in Guinea to release arrested demonstrators and immediately to conduct a thorough investigation of the incidents. It noted with great concern the increasingly violent political climate in Guinea and urged the current leadership to respect human rights and allow a return to democracy and constitutional order.

In October, the EU Council of Ministers adopted conclusions on Guinea which reiterated its condemnation of the violence and welcomed the action taken by the UN, ECOWAS and the AU. The EU also agreed to impose an arms embargo on Guinea and to adopt targeted restrictive measures against individuals responsible for the violence and those impeding a return to democracy and constitutional order in the country.

The wider international community has also reacted swiftly and strongly to violence in Conakry. I welcome the establishment by the UN Secretary-General, with the approval of the UN Security Council, of an international and independent commission of inquiry to investigate the incidents of 28 September. The European Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU) have also sought a return to the rule of law in Guinea. ECOWAS, in particular, has taken a prominent role in the response to the crackdown. After suspending Guinea from its membership, ECOWAS appointed Burkina Faso President Blaise Compaore as a mediator and, at an extraordinary Summit on 17 October, it mandated him to undertake negotiations on a transition to a constitutional order and credible elections. ECOWAS has also imposed an arms embargo on Guinea and, together with the AU, has imposed targeted sanctions on individuals who would pose a threat to the transition.

To date in 2009 Irish Aid has provided approximately €400,000 in assistance to partner organisations working in Guinea. This funding has been provided to Plan Ireland and Childfund Ireland in support of their work in the health sector, and to Concern Universal for their work in disaster risk reduction and community resilience to water-borne diseases. With our EU partners, Ireland will continue to follow developments in Guinea closely and will support efforts to secure a return to democracy and constitutional order in Guinea, with a particular focus on the elections to be held next year.