Paul Murphy (Dublin South West, Socialist Party)
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19. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his views on the situation facing Kurds in Kobane and Ireland's position on the conflict. [44959/14]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The situation in Kobane is of deep concern. The effort by ISIS to spread their campaign of brutality and lawlessness to Kobane is a direct threat to the survival of the entire Kurdish population within that region of northern Syria.

Ireland, in common with the entire international community, is committed to strong coordinated efforts to combat the threat posed by ISIS, a group which has threatened genocide and committed mass murders and the enslavement and displacement of civilian populations, and other extremist jihadists currently operating in both Syria and Iraq.

The UN Security Council has recently adopted two Resolutions, 2170 and 2178, which call on all Member States to take a range of measures to combat the growth of terrorism and extremism, including active steps to stop incitement of terrorist acts and the flow of foreign fighters to the conflicts in Syria and Iraq; prevention of recruitment and radicalisation of possible members of terrorist groups, including through community outreach initiatives; and tackling effectively the sources of terrorist financing.

Ultimately, the conflict in Syria is best addressed politically. Ireland continues to support strongly all international efforts, led by the UN Special Envoy, Steffano di Mistura, to promote a political resolution based on the Geneva principles and which provide for transition to an agreed, democratic form of government and the holding of genuinely free national elections in Syria.

There must also be accountability for the horrific violations of human rights perpetrated against the Syrian people. Ireland has long called for referral of the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court as an important step in establishing any sustainable framework for peace in Syria.