The Oireachtas Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, chaired by Clare TD Pat Breen, is to hear from Tanáiste Eamon Gilmore on this Wednesday.
The meeting will consider the outcomes from Monday’s session of the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) in Luxembourg, where the Tánaiste discussed the on-going crisis in Iraq with his counterparts.
Deputy Breen said, “The deteriorating security situation in Iraq has been the source of grave concern to Committee members, particularly in view of the appalling levels of indiscriminate attacks on innocent civilians. We note the Tánaiste’s call at the meeting for the Iraqi Government to take a non-sectarian, inclusive approach to curb any opportunities for extremism to thrive. The Committee will have an opportunity to consider the alarming situation with the Tánaiste in detail at tomorrow’s meeting, and the approach that European Foreign Ministers are proposing to take to stem the crisis.”
Mr Breen will also meet with the new Iraqi Ambassador to Ireland, Faik Nerweyi, at which the worsening humanitarian situation in Iraq will also be discussed.
“International governments are understandably very concerned about the deteriorating situation in Iraq. I look forward to getting an up to date briefing on the challenges from the new Iraqi Ambassador, when he visits Leinster House,” said Deputy Breen.
“The bloodshed being wrought on innocent civilians is deeply worrying and cannot be allowed to escalate further. Terrorist groups have taken hold of large tracts of the country, with latest reports suggesting one of the country’s biggest oil depots is under threat.
“EU foreign ministers and the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, have been to the forefront in calling for an inclusive political approach to the unrest.
“The escalating situation in Iraq not only has huge implications for its people, but for the wider region. It is clear that time cannot be wasted in bringing about stability and establishing a political way forward,” he said.
A native of Ennis, Colin McGann has been editor of The Clare Champion since August 2020. Former editor of The Clare People, he is a journalism and communications graduate of Dublin Institute of Technology.