Joe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 57: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the steps he has taken to raise concerns regarding the treatment of doctors trained in Ireland who are arrested and detained in prisons in Bahrain in the recent conflict; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15937/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I would like to reiterate my grave concern about the reports of detention, torture, intimidation and trials of medical professionals in Bahrain, some of whom are Irish-trained, for simply meeting their professional and ethical obligation to attend to those seriously injured in the recent violent clampdown against peaceful protestors. I have previously outlined the Government's position which is very clear: we condemn all repressive actions by the Bahrain authorities during and after the recent protests, including those taken against medical staff following their professional obligations. We wish to see all reported serious violations of human rights credibly investigated, the immediate release, unless charged, of detained peaceful protestors and medical professionals who assisted the injured, access for independent observers to the ongoing legal proceedings, and a process of inclusive dialogue aimed at agreeing necessary political and economic reforms. The Government is making our grave concerns known to the Bahraini authorities on this matter. The EU has already formally raised the human rights situation in Bahrain, including the repressive actions taken against medical staff there, with the Bahraini authorities in Manama on 15 May. Nationally, Ireland strongly supports further urgent representations being made by the EU in the coming days to express our deep concern about the ongoing trials of the 47 medical professionals and to press for international and domestic observers to be allowed to follow the legal proceedings.

I call upon the authorities in Bahrain to respect the detainees' fundamental rights, including their right to receive visits and to have unimpeded access to their lawyers, in line with the country's own constitutional and international obligations. I am troubled by reports that the detainees have had very limited visits or contact with their families since detention, that there have been serious physical and sexual assaults in custody and that the detainees have been forced to sign confessions and make statements confessing their involvement in crimes. I recall that Bahrain is a signatory to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which upholds the right to a fair trial.

Ireland will continue to seek to raise this issue with the Bahraini authorities at all possible opportunities and to insist that the authorities hold those responsible for violence against protestors and against medical professionals accountable for these crimes.

Maureen O'Sullivan (Dublin Central, Independent)
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Question 58: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he has concerns on the serious crisis in Bosnia due to Serbia's ongoing provocative statements in relation to Bosnia and in view of Serbia's support for separatist leader Milorad Dodik, Republika Srpska; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16006/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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At a meeting on 13 May 2011, High Representative Ashton secured a commitment from Milorad Dodik that a decision by the Republika Srpska national assembly to hold a referendum in mid-June on the work of Bosnia and Herzegovina's state court and prosecutor's office would be repealed. Subsequently, on 2 June 2011, the Republika Srpska national assembly voted to repeal the decision to hold the referendum. I welcome this development. Following High Representative Ashton's discussions with political leaders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, a structured dialogue between the European Commission and Bosnia and Herzegovina on justice issues was established, within the framework of the EU's Stabilisation and Association Process. This dialogue provides a forum in which concerns about justice issues can be discussed. The first meeting of the structured dialogue took place in Banja Luka on 6-7 June 2011, with Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle leading the EU delegation and Minister of Justice Bariša Colak the Bosnia and Herzegovina delegation. The meeting took place in a positive and constructive atmosphere, with all sides agreeing that respect for the Dayton agreement was a prerequisite for the dialogue.

It is important that political leaders in the region - in their actions and words - work to support efforts to achieve progress in Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am pleased to note that President Boris Tadic of Serbia welcomed the agreement reached by High Representative Ashton with Milorad Dodik to repeal the decision to hold the referendum. President Tadic has consistently stated that Serbia fully respects the Dayton peace agreement and the territorial integrity of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

It is also important to acknowledge the significant developments we have seen in terms of reconciliation between Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In March 2010 Serbia's parliament passed a declaration condemning the Srebrenica massacre and apologising to the families of the victims. In the same month, Bosnia and Herzegovina appointed an Ambassador to Serbia after a three-year hiatus. This was followed by a joint visit by the Serbian and Croatian Presidents to Bosnia and Herzegovina in July 2010 to attend a commemoration to mark the 15th anniversary the Srebrenica massacre. On 27 April 2011, the leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Turkey held their second trilateral summit, where they agreed to assist each others' efforts towards joining the EU and to work together to deal with the prejudices of the past.

Most recently, the arrest on 26 May 2011 of former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic by the Serbian authorities, and swift his transfer to the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague on 31 May 2011, represented an important step in addressing the appalling atrocities committed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s. His trial in The Hague will help to further the cause of true reconciliation in the Western Balkans region.

There will be a discussion on the Western Balkans at the Foreign Affairs Council on 20 June. I look forward to that discussion and to reports by High Representative Ashton on her recent visits to region.