Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour)
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34. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on proposing that there would be a referendum in Ukraine, including Crimea, on the same day as the European Parliament and Presidential Elections to resolve the current political impasse [18910/14]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The precise arrangements for elections, as well as a decision to hold any referendum, are a matter for the government and parliament of Ukraine. I am aware that the acting President of Ukraine, Aleksandr Turchinov, has spoken earlier this month of a possible nation-wide referendum on the same day as the presidential elections on 25 May if the Ukrainian parliament adopted the corresponding decision. We have seen no reports, however, that the parliament has been ready to take any action on the matter. It is clear that the authorities in Kiev are currently devoting their energies to preparing the presidential elections on 25 May and creating the conditions to enable them to take place. At its meeting on 14 April, the EU Foreign Affairs Council expressed strong support for the holding of free and fair presidential elections. Ireland is sending a team of observers to Ukraine to help achieve that objective, one which, I hope, will allow the Ukrainian people to determine their own future and help build trust across the country.

Eoghan Murphy (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)
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35. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 63 of 8 April 2014, the Government’s position regarding the Rwandan President Paul Kagame and UN allegations regarding his involvement in Congo. [19013/14]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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As highlighted in my response to Question No. 63 of 8 April 2014, Ireland is actively engaged at both European Union and United Nations level in relation to the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Great Lakes region. The Government, along with our partners at the EU and UN, condemns all forms of external support to destabilising forces active in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The focus by all sides must be on finding a durable solution to the ongoing crisis in the DRC and the region. It is imperative that regional Governments, including the Government of Rwanda, cooperate with the United Nations and play a positive role in searching for peace and stability. In this regard, I note that Rwanda is one of the signatories of the Framework Agreement for Peace, Security and Cooperation in the Great Lakes Region which was signed in the presence of the UN Secretary General in Addis Ababa on 24 February 2013. Ireland is supporting former President Mary Robinson in her important role, as Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General for the Great Lakes region of Africa, to coordinate and assess the implementation of national and regional commitments under the Framework Agreement. In December 2013, Ireland contributed €300,000 to the UN Trust Fund in support of the Office of the Special Envoy. We are also actively considering support for the Women’s Platform for the peace process in the Great Lakes Region which is under the guidance of Special Envoy Robinson.

Since 2009, Ireland has provided €44.6 million in response to the crisis in the DRC. In 2013 alone, Ireland provided over €5.5 million in humanitarian funding to the DRC - €3.8 million was provided to the Common Humanitarian Fund for the DRC, while the remaining €1.8 million was allocated to NGO partners.