Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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109. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade further to Parliamentary Question No. 18 of 16 November 2017, if Ireland is in breach of the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty by continuing to permit the export of arms to Saudi Arabia in view of the fact that he has acknowledged that Saudi Arabia is committing gross violations of human rights in Yemen. [49753/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am extremely concerned about the situation in Yemen, the suffering of civilians there, and the humanitarian crisis which the war has triggered. Ireland has raised with Saudi Arabia on numerous occasions its concerns about the situation in Yemen. In November 2016, my predecessor, Minister Flanagan, raised concerns about the appalling humanitarian situation in Yemen, and about attacks which have directly impacted on civilians, with the Saudi Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Nizar bin Obaid Madani, in November 2016. Following this, he also raised these concerns with the UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs, Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, both in the UAE and more recently here in Dublin.

More recently, when senior officials from my Department met with the Saudi Chargé d’Affaires earlier this month, they reiterated these concerns, and re-stated Ireland’s view that there can be no military solution to the crisis in Yemen.

Ireland does not have an arms industry and is not therefore an exporter of conventional weapons. Ireland has signed and ratified the 2014 Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) and we consider ourselves in full compliance with the Treaty. As one of the ATT’s early signatories, Ireland continues to be one of its strongest supporters, given its potential to directly impact and reduce fatalities and injuries caused by conventional arms.

I share a deep concern about violations of human rights in Yemen. At the Human Rights Council in September 2017, I decided that Ireland should join a small core group of countries that drove forward the adoption of a Resolution on Yemen. This Resolution establishes a group of international experts, who will establish the facts in relation to violations of human rights and humanitarian law on the ground. This group will report back to the Human Rights Council, as an important step towards accountability in Yemen.

Ireland will continue to press for a negotiated settlement to the conflict in Yemen, respect for human rights and international humanitarian law, and improved humanitarian access to those in need.