Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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51. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the extent to which he and his UN colleagues are in a position to influence a peace process in the Middle East with particular reference to the need for both sides to bring their grievances to a central platform in which both Israeli and Palestinian interests will receive a hearing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9997/19]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The resolution of the conflict in the Middle East through a negotiated peace agreement is a foreign policy priority of this Government, of myself as Minister, and of the European Union. It is a regular subject of discussion at the Foreign Affairs Council, and in official level EU discussion in Brussels and at the UN and other international fora. EU and Member State Missions in Israel and Palestine also devote much of their effort and resources to this question.

The Deputy will also be aware of the Ministerial meeting which I hosted here in Dublin last week to address the Middle East Peace Process.

I believe that the best way forward would be the resumption of negotiations resuming between the parties, to allow both sides to meet their aspirations and resolve their differences, moving on from grievances to a just outcome which meets the needs of both peoples. However, it is important to create a context for such negotiations, in order that they can be productive, and the international community shares a responsibility to help create this context. This was one of the issues addressed in the meeting which I hosted in Farmleigh last week.