Finian McGrath (Dublin North Central, Independent)
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Question 15: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will clarify his policy on Libya and the role of the EU members in the conflict, notably France and Britain. [25325/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I have already made clear my warm welcome for the fall of the oppressive Gaddafi regime and the victory of the Libyan people and of the National Transitional Council, which successfully led the challenge to Gaddafi's rule. I was honoured yesterday to represent Ireland at the High-level Meeting on Libya which UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon convened on the margins of the sixty-sixth session of the UN General Assembly in New York. This meeting marked the formal welcoming of the Libyan interim authorities to the international community.

The new Libya which has now embarked on the transition to democracy faces urgent tasks of reconstruction, reconciliation and development. I hope that the Libyan National Transitional Council will be quickly able to establish an effective government over the whole country and to lay the foundations for a democratic and just Libya. At yesterday's High-level Meeting in New York, and at earlier meetings with NTC representatives, I have been impressed by the new authorities' vision of an inclusive and democratic future for all Libyans and their well-judged plans for achieving it. I look forward to working closely with the National Transitional Council in the coming months as, in cooperation with the UN and the international community, they prepare the ground for the adoption of a new constitution and the holding of the first truly free and democratic elections in Libya. I have offered the Libyan people all possible cooperation from Ireland in the period ahead while we will also work intensely to promote and develop our bilateral relations with the new Libya.

Respect for human rights and the rule of law will be crucial in the new Libya and must be a key priority for the NTC and its international partners. The role of women was also integral to this triumph of the Libyan people and full respect for the rights of women and the realisation of their potential will be a key ingredient in the building of a new Libya. There must also be an end to impunity and those indicted by the ICC, including Gaddafi, must face international justice.

While it is the people of Libya themselves who have been responsible for writing this new chapter in Libya's history, their success would not have been possible without the close involvement and support of the international community. The UN will now play the lead role in coordinating the international community's support for Libya's transition. A peace support mission, UNSMIL, has now been authorised by the UN Security Council. The UN has been strongly supportive of the Libyan people in their struggle, including through the adoption of key Security Council resolutions, the provision of humanitarian assistance, the imposition of stringent international sanctions against the Gaddafi regime and through UN-mandated military protection of civilians. Regional organisations such as the EU, Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic States and the African Union have also provided vital support to this effort. Ireland was glad to provide what political and humanitarian assistance it could to the Libyan people over the past six months and we will continue to remain a strong and committed partner for the Libyan people in the period ahead.