Brendan Smith (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail)
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112. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if he will report on his meeting with the envoy of the United States of America, Senator Gary Hart; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36932/15]

Charles Flanagan (Laois-Offaly, Fine Gael)
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The Taoiseach and I, together with Minister of State Sherlock, met with Senator Gary Hart, the US Secretary of State’s Personal Representative, in Dublin on 14 October, to discuss the political situation in Northern Ireland. It was a valuable opportunity to hear the Senator’s impressions of the ongoing talks following his meetings that day and the previous day with the leaders of the Northern Ireland parties and to exchange views on the current state of the discussions.

We agreed that the current talks are the best way to resolve the differences among the parties in Northern Ireland on how to implement the Stormont House Agreement and to address the impact and legacy of paramilitarism. We stressed to Senator Hart that the Government will continue to make every effort to secure an outcome which will safeguard the progress made to date and protect the Good Friday Agreement and its institutions. Senator Hart made clear that the US values the Stormont House Agreement and wants to see it fully implemented. We share this key objective and my focus in the coming weeks will be to work for an outcome to the current talks that sees the Stormont House Agreement fully implemented. This includes agreeing legislation establishing the institutions for dealing with the past in a manner that faithfully complies with the provisions of the Stormont House Agreement. We also agreed that a solution on the issue of paramilitarism would be an important step forward - not just for politics – but for the further normalisation of society in Northern Ireland.

The US continues to be a crucial partner in the peace process and Senator Hart reaffirmed the Administration’s commitment to assist in any way they can. The Senator’s timely visit, and his ongoing engagement in the political process in Northern Ireland, is a tangible expression of the US determination to support an agreement being reached. The Taoiseach thanked the Senator for his continued commitment and conveyed, through him, the Government’s appreciation to President Obama, Vice President Biden and Secretary Kerry for that continued interest, solidarity and support. We agreed to stay in close contact with Senator Hart in the coming weeks.