Darragh O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Fianna Fail)
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408. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the efforts being made by the European Union to restart the Middle East peace talks; his views on the reduced electricity supply to the Gaza strip; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35856/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Ireland and other EU partners strongly supported the initiative by France during 2016, which concluded with the second Paris Conference in January this year. However, those efforts were not able to restore momentum to the peace process, which remains stalled.

There is no clear view at present in the European Union on the best way to try and encourage a resumption of talks. I look forward to taking part in those discussions, but Ireland in the meantime will continue to urge the EU to take action in response to Israeli actions on the ground which are making those negotiations ever more difficult. There is some expectation that the US administration will initiate new efforts in early autumn to negotiate an agreement. If this goes ahead, the EU will have to be ready to respond appropriately and support efforts to deliver a sustainable two-state solution.

During my recent visit to the region I discussed the prospects for restarting talks with Israeli, Palestinian and US and other international representatives.

In relation to the Gaza electricity supply, I refer the Deputy to my reply to Question 388 today.