Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 383: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on the various conflict or famine locations throughout the African continent; the degree to which the international community continues to intervene in a positive and supportive manner; the extent to which the various UN or EU supportive missions have been effective; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36413/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There are several countries in Africa which are suffering from conflict or food shortages. I do not propose to go into details on each of them individually. The international community continues to intervene to address these issues on the African continent, whether on a bilateral or multilateral basis.

With regard to the issue of hunger and famine, it is estimated that more than a billion people today do not have enough food. Ireland is responding to this challenge, working bilaterally in our programme countries with our EU partners and other donors, and at a global level through the UN agencies. Since the publication of the report of the Hunger Task Force in September 2008, Ireland's focus on hunger reduction has become a cornerstone of Irish Aid's development programme.

With regard to Africa, efforts are concentrated on the three priority areas identified in the report, namely: increasing smallholder agricultural productivity in Africa; targeting under-nutrition (especially maternal and infant); and promoting governance and leadership action on tackling global hunger. Nowhere is this work more challenging than in African countries affected by conflict where it is critically important to move quickly with large-scale emergency food assistance in order to save lives.

Yet we know that more can be done to address the causes of hunger and famine. To this end, at the Millennium Development Goals Summit last month in New York, I hosted a meeting with the US Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, to accelerate action against hunger. At this meeting, Ireland and the US came together to highlight the urgency of tackling undernutrition in pregnant women and children under the age of two and to build new partnerships with global political, business and civil society leaders. Our two countries launched the "1,000 Day" initiative to focus on the period from pregnancy to a child's second birthday and to galvanise international action on this issue. We were both very encouraged by the support that we received by the international community, including the UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, EU Commissioner Georgieva, the World Food Programme, UNICEF and the World Health Organisation. Irish officials are working with their US officials to galvanise action in this regard.

With regard to security, UN and EU peacekeeping missions in Africa have a role in stabilising former and current conflict zones. Members of the Irish Defence Forces have participated in numerous UN and EU peacekeeping missions in Africa, including in the Congo, Eritrea, Liberia and most recently in Chad. In developing a sustainable approach which properly addresses the root causes of conflict and famine, and other problems, African leadership and responsibility are crucial. This is recognised by the EU and UN, which are both working to build the capacities of African States and the African Union to respond to these challenges. Ireland is committed to playing its part in this work, and I believe that our comprehensive and inclusive approach to these challenges stands the best chance of facilitating real and positive change in the lives of millions of people in Africa.

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 384: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the extent to which he and his EU colleagues have applied themselves to the situation in the western Balkans with a view to ensuring that the various entities involved are encouraged to respect each other's position in the context of continued peace and tolerance; the extent to which the EU continues to engage and positively influence the issues; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36414/10]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Ireland, together with our EU partners, is committed to enhancing stability in the Western Balkans region. The EU perspective for the countries in the region, agreed at the June 2003 Thessaloniki European Council, is essential in helping to build and maintain this stability. The EU's Stabilisation and Association process provides the framework for cooperation on economic, political and legal matters aimed at bringing countries in the region towards EU standards and principles.

The Western Balkans remains a priority area for the EU and is discussed frequently by Foreign Ministers, most recently at the Foreign Affairs Councils in June and July 2010. These discussions followed on from the high-level meeting on the Western Balkans in Sarajevo on 2 June which was organised by the Spanish EU Presidency. The meeting in Sarajevo was attended by all EU and Western Balkans countries. Minister of State Mansergh represented Ireland. The meeting took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere and served to build on the positive developments we have seen in the region recently.

Meetings with my Western Balkans counterparts were a priority in my schedule at the UN General Assembly in New York last month. I had very useful discussions with the Foreign Ministers of Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina. I also had the opportunity to discuss developments in the region with the Turkish Foreign Minister while in New York. In addition, the region was discussed during the EU-Russia and EU-US meetings in the margins of the General Assembly. My visit to Romania and Bulgaria last week, meanwhile, provided a further opportunity to hear the perspective of some of those closer to the region on recent developments. This followed on from discussions I had with my Austrian and German counterparts in early September.

The most significant developments in the Western Balkans region in recent months relate to the judgement by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the declaration of independence by Kosovo, and subsequent joint EU-Serbia UN resolution, and the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina on 3 October. In July, the ICJ ruled that Kosovo's declaration of independence did not violate international law. Serbia put forward a draft UN General Assembly resolution on the matter which would have been unacceptable to the EU. Ultimately, however, Serbia and the EU reached a compromise on the resolution, and a joint EU-Serbia text was adopted by consensus in the General Assembly in September. The EU-Serbia resolution included an offer by the EU to facilitate a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Discussions are ongoing at official level as to the form and scope of such a dialogue.

Provisional results for the elections in Bosnia-Herzegovina indicate gains for moderates in the Bosniak-Croat Federation, while the ruling party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, did well in the Republika Srpska. In its preliminary assessment, the OSCE-led election observation mission (to which Ireland contributed nine observers) reported that the elections were conducted generally in line with OSCE and Council of Europe commitments and represented further progress for Bosnia-Herzegovina. It is important that now, after the general election, fresh impetus is given to domestic reforms to ensure Bosnia-Herzegovina moves forward on the path towards the EU. The EU is ready to play its part by encouraging political leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to engage in constructive dialogue and by assisting with the reform process. However, the key to progress lies with the political parties themselves.

Overall, there has been a marked improvement in the regional dynamic over the past year. In December 2009, the EU granted the citizens of Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia visa-free access to the Schengen area. This was a significant boost for the region, and it is expected that it will be extended to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania at the end of this year. Other positive steps towards regional reconciliation include: the appointment by Bosnia-Herzegovina of an ambassador to Belgrade after a three-year hiatus; the declaration by the Belgrade Parliament last March condemning the Srebrenica massacre; Serbia's handing over of the wartime notebooks of Ratko Mladic to the ICTY in May; and the joint visit by the Serbian and Croatian Presidents to Bosnia for the Srebrenica commemoration this July. I welcome these forward-looking gestures, which are a testament to how far the Western Balkans region has come over the past 15 years. The EU will remain engaged in assisting the countries in the region to undertake the reforms necessary to move forward in their path to the EU.