Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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Question 47: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the actions being taken at EU and UN level to address the escalating crisis in Syria and in view of the number of reported deaths of anti-regime protestors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41003/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I have made clear my strong condemnation of the ongoing violence and serious repression of human rights in Syria, most recently in a statement on 20 December. The UN estimates that over 5,000 people have been killed by Syrian forces since last March. I am gravely concerned that, despite the presence of an Arab League observer mission since 27 December, the killings of unarmed protestors continue. I fully support the call from Arab League Secretary General el-Araby for a complete cessation of all violence in Syria. The international community, including the EU, the UN and the Arab League, has reacted to the violence in Syria with a series of robust economic, political and diplomatic measures to compel the Syrian regime to cease its appalling and unacceptable attacks on the Syrian people.

The EU Foreign Affairs Council agreed on 1 December additional measures related to the energy, financial, banking and trade sectors, as well as the listing of additional individuals and entities involved in the violence or supporting the regime. This comes on top of extensive existing EU sanctions, including a ban on oil imports from Syria. I entirely support these additional sanctions and the statements of High Representative Ashton on Syria, including on 2 December. Ireland also fully supports implementation of the sanctions, including an asset freeze and an embargo on investments, imposed by the Arab League on Syria on 27 November. The Government, together with its EU partners, welcomes the leadership which has been shown by the Arab League in tackling the crisis caused by the Syrian regime's lethal repression against its own citizens. The Arab League has brought forward a plan which provides for the withdrawal of all Syrian forces from besieged towns and cities, for the release of all detainees and for the beginning of genuine political dialogue with the Syrian opposition. This plan represents the best way forward for Syria and it is vital that the Assad regime complies fully and without any further delay. I support the Arab League plan to continue its monitoring mission until 19 January and look forward to its full assessment of the situation at that stage.

At UN level, an overwhelming majority of UN member states, including Ireland, supported a resolution calling for an end to all human rights abuses in Syria which was adopted by the General Assembly on 19 December, following discussion and agreement in the Third (Human Rights) Committee in November. This followed the UN Human Rights Council's Special Session on Syria on 2 December which also adopted a strongly worded resolution on Syria. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Navi Pillay, laid out a persuasive case to the Security Council on 12 December that the Syrian regime is guilty of committing crimes against humanity in its brutal response to pro-democracy protests. Her presentation shared the conclusions of the report of the independent International Commission of Inquiry mandated by the HRC last August and which issued on 28 November.

These UN actions make it clear that the international community is united in its view that the violence in Syria must come to an immediate end. It is, therefore, extremely disappointing that the Security Council has still, after all this time, been unable to agree a robust Resolution on Syria to bring further pressure to bear on President Assad. I hope that it will soon be able to do so. I call on Security Council members with influence on President Assad to seek to persuade him to immediately relinquish power so that a political transition may begin. Ireland and its EU partners, working with the UN, the Arab League and international partners such as the US and Turkey, are determined to maintain strong and united political pressure on the Syrian regime until it ends the violent repression against its own people and begins a process of transition.