Written answers

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Foreign Conflicts

Photo of Seán CroweSeán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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89. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the creation of a so called international coalition to bomb ISIS targets in Iraq and Syria; if Ireland will be providing any humanitarian aid or support to the tens of thousands of Kurds who are fleeing from Syria to Turkey to escape ISIS attacks in recent weeks. [37724/14]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The growth of extremism and the threat posed by ISIS and other jihadist groups to the people of Syria and Iraq was extensively discussed at the UN General Assembly which I attended last week. As I made clear in my address to the General Assembly, there can be no complacency within the international community about the threat which ISIS and other extremists represent or about the need for urgent international action to confront this threat to us all.

Confronting this growth of extremism requires a wide range of actions including security responses to deny ISIS the freedom to attack civilians, action by the new Iraqi Government to promote inclusivity and ensure real Sunni representation within Iraq’s political system and Government, as well as achieving a political resolution to the Syrian conflict. Humanitarian relief is also a critical component of the response to mass displacement of civilians fleeing the threat from ISIS and other terrorist groups in Syria and Iraq.

UN Security Council Resolutions 2170 and 2178 adopted in recent weeks require all UN Member States to implement comprehensive measures to address the threat of terrorism including through such measures as taking active steps to prevent travel by persons suspected of planning or intending to participate in terrorist acts; cooperation in exchanging information on actions and movement by terrorists; prevention of recruitment and radicalisation of possible members of such groups, including through community outreach initiatives, and denying financial transfers to terrorist groups; and supporting the provision of bilateral assistance to States in developing national capacities to respond to foreign terrorist fighters. The Foreign Affairs Council meeting which I attended on 15 August has also welcomed the provision of military support by individual member States to the Iraqi and Kurdish regional authorities at their request to combat terrorism, consistent with the provisions of UN Security Council resolution 2170.

Ireland will continue to pro-actively support all international efforts, including by the EU and UN, to promote a political resolution of the current conflict in both Syria and Iraq. We will also continue to address the humanitarian consequences of the conflict and provide urgent assistance and support to the civilian populations within Syria and Iraq who have been displaced or suffered violations of their rights at the hands of ISIS and other extremists.

In this regard, Ireland has already made a major contribution to help alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people and is one of the most generous contributors to the humanitarian response on a per capita basis, having committed over €29 million in assistance for humanitarian relief in response to the crisis in Syria and the recent humanitarian challenges in northern Iraq. Most recently, in response to the current wave of refugees from Syria into Turkey, funding of €210,000 has been allocated from the Start Fund, an NGO pooled fund mechanism which Ireland supports.

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