Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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38. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he supports the Geneva II conference, to be held in January 2014, which aims to create a settlement to the Syrian conflict; and if he feels representatives of the Kurdish community should be invited as their own delegation, rather than been placed in with the broad opposition. [52250/13]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I warmly welcome the announcement by UN Secretary-General Ban that the Geneva conference will be held on 22 January 2014. While there have been delays in convening the conference, it is beyond dispute that it offers the only realistic path at present to devising a workable political solution and to ending the conflict and the horrendous suffering of the Syrian people. Building on the original Geneva communiqué of 30 June 2012, the aim of the conference is to reach agreement on the formation of an inclusive transitional governing body which will replace the Assad regime and end the terrible conflict which has ravaged Syria since early 2011. The Syrian opposition have been requested and are being strongly encouraged by the UN and by UN/Arab League Special Representative Lahkdar Brahimi to make every effort to field a united negotiating team for the Geneva II conference. It will ultimately be for each segment of the opposition, including the representatives of the Kurdish community within Syria, to decide their own position on the conference but I imagine they will wish to give careful consideration to the views of UN Secretary General Ban and Joint Special Representative Brahimi as convenors of the conference.