Written answers

Thursday, 26 February 2015

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Foreign Conflicts

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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201. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his European Union colleagues expect to be in a position to influence matters in Ukraine, with particular reference to the strict observance of a ceasefire and setting in place necessary protection for the civilian population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8658/15]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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207. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the degree to which the international community continues to positively influence matters in Ukraine, with particular reference to maintaining a ceasefire; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8665/15]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 201 and 207 together.

The EU has been at the forefront of international efforts to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, which has claimed over 5,500 lives, left many thousands more injured and forced almost a million people to flee their homes.

The conflict has had a devastating impact on local civilian populations in eastern Ukraine who have endured dreadful suffering since fighting broke out in the Donbas region over ten months ago. I am appalled, in particular, at the rising number of civilian casualties in recent weeks as a direct consequence of the indiscriminate shelling of residential areas in the conflict zone.

The welfare of civilians caught up in the hostilities is a major concern and I fully support EU calls on all sides to respect International Humanitarian Law. It is vital that the protection of civilians and humanitarian workers is ensured and that unhindered humanitarian access is granted to populations in need, in line with humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. It is also essential that the OSCE Mission is permitted to freely undertake its important monitoring and verification work in all areas of the conflict region.

The most effective way of ensuring the safety of the civilian population is to stop the violence. On 12 February, an agreement was reached in Minsk on a new peace deal aimed at ending the fighting. The declaration agreed in Minsk by Chancellor Merkel, President Hollande, President Putin and President Poroschenko and the package of measures signed by the parties to the conflict provides for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of heavy weapons in eastern Ukraine. The package also contains a timetable for the implementation of key parts of the September Minsk Agreements, which provide the basis for a comprehensive resolution of the crisis.

On 17 February, the UN Security Council unanimously called on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and abide by the commitments agreed in Minsk. EU High Representative Federica Mogherini has also issued a strong statement to this effect. I fully support the UN Security Council Resolution and the High Representative’s call, which also underlined the need for the agreed withdrawal of heavy weapons. It is critical that all parties honour their commitments to end the fighting and fully support a peaceful resolution of the conflict in Ukraine.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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202. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his EU colleagues, together with the United Nations, can take measures to protect women and girls under threat from the Boko Haram; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8660/15]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I have strongly condemned the appalling acts of violence being perpetrated in Nigeria and its neighbouring countries by Boko Haram. These include the abduction of more than 200 young girls by Boko Haram from a school in the Nigerian town of Chibok in April 2014 and the appalling use of children as suicide-bombers, recently including a girl thought to be as young as seven.

I have given my full support to the clear demands of the UN Secretary General and the EU High Representative that the girls abducted in Chibok be released and that those responsible be brought to justice. I am deeply disappointed that hopes that the girls would be released as a part of ceasefire discussions last October were not realised.

The EU as well as several individual EU Member States, the UN and the USA, continue to assist the Nigerian authorities in strengthening their ability to provide security and to combat terrorism. On 13 February, the UN Security Council condemned in the strongest terms the continued escalation of attacks perpetrated by Boko Haram and reiterated its determination to combat all forms of terrorism. The EU Foreign Affairs Council, which I attended in Brussels on 9 February, noted that the responsibility to address the immediate security challenge in the region lies primarily with the countries most affected, and called upon them to urgently intensify cooperation and coordination. We welcomed the decision of the States in the region, endorsed by the African Union, to deploy a multinational force to combat Boko Haram, and this is now being established.

Ireland has been a particularly strong advocate of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 which calls for increased participation of women in peace-making and peace-building; for greater protection for women and girls in armed conflict; and for a gender perspective to be incorporated into peace-keeping and peace-building. We will continue to encourage all UN member states, including Nigeria, to fully implement this resolution so that women and girls may be better protected from the horrific effects of armed conflicts such as the Boko Haram insurgency.

On 14 January, I launched Ireland’s second National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2015-2018) which renewed our commitment to tackling the dreadful impact of conflict on women and girls. The action plan is designed to ensure that a gender perspective is incorporated into Ireland’s engagement in overseas humanitarian and development aid, peace-keeping, governance, post-conflict activities and interventions, and to bolster Ireland’s ongoing work on protection from and prevention of gender-based violence.

Our Embassy in Abuja, working locally in cooperation with the EU, UN and other key partners, remains in close contact with the Nigerian authorities on all issues related to the Boko Haram insurgency, including the appalling abduction of the schoolgirls.

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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203. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the situation in South Sudan remains under observation by the European Union, with a view to a making positive impact to protect civilians, establish the observance of human rights principles and set up safe havens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8661/15]

Photo of Charles FlanaganCharles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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I am very concerned about the situation in South Sudan, which achieved its independence in 2011 but has been in turmoil since the outbreak of conflict in December 2013. Continuing violence and threats have forced almost two million people to flee their homes. The country’s warring parties signed another ceasefire agreement in February following regional talks led by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), which were supported by the African Union and the European Union. However, the current peace remains very fragile and the humanitarian situation is extremely serious. Reports that 89 young boys were abducted over the weekend in Upper Nile State, for use as child soldiers, are particularly worrying.

The European Union, through its Special Representative for the Horn of Africa and together with the international community, including Ireland, actively engages in trying to prevent the crisis escalating into a full-scale ethnic-based civil war. In particular, the EU supports repeated warnings from IGAD and the African Union that continued violations of the ceasefire or failure to finalise a political agreement will inevitably result in further sanctions by the international community.

The EU, including individual Member States, provided more than €267 million in humanitarian assistance to South Sudan in 2014. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs recently co-hosted a high-level conference on South Sudan at which donors pledged some $600 million in assistance. Since the outbreak of the conflict at the end of 2013, Ireland has provided almost €11 million for South Sudan, through UN partners and NGOs working to alleviate the suffering of the people of the country and refugees across the region. We have pledged a further €3 million so far in 2015. We will continue to monitor the political and humanitarian situation closely, through our Embassies in the region, and in cooperation with our EU partners and the United Nations.

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