Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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104. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which the international community continues to assist in the development of democracy in Syria and Iraq following the ongoing wars there; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40088/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The situation in Syria continues to be a matter of grave concern. About 13.5 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria including 6.3 million internally displaced people, 1.5 million are living under siege conditions, and a further 5 million Syrian refugees have fled to neighbouring countries and the wider region. Clearly, the situation at present is far from conducive to democracy; peace has to come first. The search for a resolution of the Syrian conflict is a top priority for Ireland and the international community. The United Nations is leading the international efforts to bring about a peaceful, democratic solution to the crisis in Syria. The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura has convened political negotiations to end the conflict based on the 2012 Geneva Communique and UN Security Council resolution 2254 which calls for an end to violence and the formation of a transitional governing body with executive powers and a constitutional reform process. Seven rounds of these talks have taken place, the most recent in July of this year. The eighth round of these talks is expected to take place in Geneva in October or November. Special Envoy De Mistura has also been attending the so-called Astana talks. These have been taking place in parallel to the Geneva talks and have focused on the establishment of ceasefire zones facilitated by Russia, Iran and Turkey. Ireland and the EU fully support the UN-led talks process and the work of Special Envoy De Mistura. At their April meeting, EU Foreign Ministers adopted a new EU Strategy for Syria which reaffirms the EU’s continued support for and direct assistance to the UN-brokered talks. This includes an EU-led initiative, in coordination with the UN, to develop political dialogue with key actors from the region to identify common ground for the end-state in Syria and the conditions for the reconciliation and reconstruction process. The EU will also host a conference on Syria in the margins of the UN General Assembly this week.

Iraq is a constitutional parliamentary republic. Provincial elections were held in 2013 and parliamentary elections in 2014. New parliamentary and provincial elections are due to be held next year. However, Iraq has continued to face a number of challenges, including security challenges, due to the presence of Da’esh (ISIS/ISIL) in the country and ongoing sectarian violence. Ireland and its EU and international partners have consistently called for inclusive democratic measures in parallel with counter-terrorism and security measures to create the environment for long-term stability in Iraq and the wider region. In the Iraqi context, we have emphasised that the security effort must be accompanied by the implementation of the programme for national reconciliation set out by PM Abadi in late 2014 to avoid further sectarian divisions.

In June, EU Foreign Ministers discussed Iraq at the Foreign Affairs Council and adopted Conclusions which called on the Government of Iraq to make tangible progress on political reforms to enable full national reconciliation based on justice and accountability, the principles of a functioning democracy, the rule of law, respect for human rights and the genuine involvement of civil society. The Conclusions also invite the High Representative and the European Commission to present elements for an EU strategy for engagement with Iraq in due course.

Ireland has made a significant contribution to the humanitarian response to the crises in both Syria and Iraq, and since 2012 has provided over €90 million to the Syria humanitarian effort, and over €8 million to the UN Iraq Humanitarian Pooled Fund.