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IRISH DIPLOMATS HAVE scored a major international victory in their efforts to secure aid for 4.1 million displaced people by the Syrian Civil War.
On Tuesday 5 July, the Security Council adopted a resolution extending the mandate for the UN’s cross border humanitarian operation between Turkey and North-West Syria. This operation provides vital support for the millions of displaced people in North-West Syria.
The Bab al-Hawa crossing at the Turkish/Syrian border is the only location where aid can cross and the resolution dealt with the rights of UN aid to enter Syria by road at that location.
Russia has sided with the Assad regime in Syria which has been ravaged by a civil war since 2011. An estimated 4.1 million displaced people, who fled the fighting in Aleppo and other cities, would be cut off without aid if the resolution was not renewed.
Ireland and Norway led negotiations on Resolution 2642, which extends the mandate of the operation for six months, until 10 January 2023.
Sources have revealed the high level and detailed efforts by Irish diplomats based in the UN Headquarters in New York and in Ireland’s embassies in France, the US, UK and in Turkey.
It is understood that at one stage on Friday, 8 July, it looked like the move would not succeed and it took a weekend of further negotiation and compromise to convince the Russians to withdraw their veto.
The negotiations were led by a small team of approximately four Department of Foreign Affairs diplomats based in New York. They were then backed up by their colleagues in missions around the globe.
Ireland is a temporary member of the UN Security Council while there are five permanent members of the New York-based body.
China, Russia, France, United Kingdom and United States are the main power brokers – each of these countries has a veto which can stop UN initiatives, or resolutions, in their tracks.
Slow to engage
Sources told The Journal that the Russian delegation on the Security Council were slow to engage with the Irish move. They delayed responding to correspondence but once the Irish laid down their resolution wording the Russians began to interact and, as predicted, not in a positive manner.
It was further complicated as the US and UK governments were calling for a 12 month extension to the cross border aid operations in the area while Russia were refusing to budge on six months.
Russia used its veto to block the process but this led to an unexpected turn of events which, rather than kill the Irish and Norwegian move, made it more likely.
The use of the Russian veto was, according to one source familiar with the process, “a pressure release” and moved the US Government to be amenable to a six month extension.
As Russia was seen as the villain it allowed the US and other heavyweight permanent members of the UN Security Council to come off their strict 12 month renewal demand and accept the shorter period.
The Irish team in New York took to the phones and after exhaustive late night negotiations they got all members to agree to vote in favour of the six month extension.
While Russia was granted a concession on the six month period sources have said that Irish diplomats are hopeful that an agreement on an extension in December is very likely.
It is understood that the strategy on that occasion will ee Russia not using the veto then as there will be widespread evidence of winter conditions and the gathering humanitarian disaster in the area.
Nordic
Ireland’s Nordic strategy has played a key part in the diplomatic work behind the scenes. The Nordic Strategy is a foreign policy plan to build an alliance with Scandinavian countries.
The Irish delegation on the United Nations Security Council has responsibility, along with Norway, for the Syrian humanitarian file.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney visited the UN’s humanitarian operation at Bab al-Hawa for the second time last month, with Norwegian Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt.
The visit signalled that the resolution was one of Ireland’s key UN Security Council initiatives.
Speaking after the adoption of Resolution 2642, Coveney spoke about his visit and importance of the relationship with Norway.
“Ensuring the delivery of humanitarian assistance to people in Syria has been one of Ireland’s top priorities as an elected member of the UN Security Council.
“In conversations with UN officials and humanitarian workers, I heard again about the critical importance of this operation for over 4 million people in North West Syria, and saw first-hand the dedication and professionalism of the staff working there,” he said.
He had strong praise for the Irish diplomats’ “relentless determination” in securing the success of the initiative.
“Since joining the Security Council in January 2021, Ireland and Norway have led efforts to extend the mandate for the cross border operation.
“These have been incredibly challenging negotiations. Throughout, we have had one overarching focus and objective – to ensure that humanitarian aid can continue to reach all people in need in Syria.
“I’m pleased that, through relentless determination, we have been able to get this Resolution over the line, and that the vital work of the UN’s cross border operation can continue,” he said.
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Country is booming. Jobs everywhere. Leo doing a great job. It’s tough on the layabouts who have no excuse.
@Chicken George: the economy may be going in the right direction but healthcare is still in a shambles and we still have issues with homelessness. FG may have had some success in some areas but they have had drastic failures in others that need to be addressed and simply aren’t.
@Seán Ó Briain: The economy is going in the right direction… Where did you get that information?
@Fred Croydon: The tax payers provide it. Not “the government” Really important to state that correctly.
@Chicken George:
1)54% workers earning €30,000& under&up to 80,000 on activation schemes not counted in unemployment rate.
2)Last year it was reported that average rents nationwide were 16% higher than their 2008 peak &Daft.ie Report showed rents twice to treble rate of mortgages on similar houses.There has been an increase of 166% in tenants paying landlords more than€300 a week since 2011.
3)Housing stock only increased by 0.4% between 2011-2016.Plus private rented accommodation described as”social housing”
4) Homelessness increased by 81% since 2011&child homelessness increased by 375% since 2014.
Ireland just uses 3/7Categories of ETHOS light Categories.Eoin O Sullivan,Trinity College Report compared Ireland with Denmark,Germany&Hungary who use similar comparisons re homelessless&Ireland ranked the highest (‘How does Ireland’s homeless problem compare with other countries’)No National Emergencies called in Homelessness and Housing.
5)There were €2.7B of cuts to HSE during recession,12,000 less HSE staff,21,000 inpatient drop&30,000 day case drop between 2012-2014,2m home help hours now last year 589,000 on hospital waiting lists and hospital overcrowding at serious levels.No Health Emergency declared.
6) 790,000 people living in poverty,250,000 of which are children and 1m people experiencing deprivation plus 105,000 workers with incomes so low they are living in poverty.
These are just some of the national emergencies facing society.
I don’t know how anyone could live in this country and be so unaware of how many of their fellow citizens are been affected by these very real Emergencies!
@Seán Ó Briain: Ah. you had to ruin it by mentioning healthcare and homelessness
@Chicken George: The usual parts of the country are booming and all the immigrants are happy in this easy to rip off country.
Come back down to earth Chicken George and see how 90 % of the Irish people struggle to make ends meet.
Cc: To the wasters in Givernment
@Fred Croydon
What a idiotic statement ” People choose to be on the street”
Typical Fine Gael attitude, you are not related to Enda Kenny by any chance?
@Fred Croydon: Those who avail of late night shelter are considered homeless (you usually are not allowed in until 9pm or later). Sometimes people don’t want to avail of these services because there are drug users there. You don’t have to be “mentally ill” to want to avoid that.
…But Leo consistently lies, won’t tell the full truth on many issues and also won’t tackle the illegal operations such as is going on in JobPath – that is seeing Million of Euro stolen every year off victims!
What is there to like?
expect Nick Allen (aka mk57) any time now.
@Unitedpeople: that is some chip
On your shoulder … don’t think I’ve ever seen you post anything positive on here …and looking at your social media and website you’d swear that everyone was living in gutters and eating grass …beyond doubt the economy is in growth and hopefully we will have as close to a balanced budget as possible. Moving towards full employment so hopefully the only role of job path will be to find out who the ‘won’t work’ section of society are and try to force them to work rather than live in relative conforms on social welfare .. passing on a tradition of social welfare dependence to their children
@Gggordon: well said
@Jun Stone: Good old Gggordon. Out to smear at every turn those that speak out – but never is able to refute facts actually posted that can be also independely verified.
If Gggordon actually bothered his backside to look fully at Facebook posts he would see more – but then he and his short-sighted fellow mod don’t want to.
Moving towards full employment is great – but at the point of breaking the law to the tune of millions to do it – while the same law breakers tell others not to break the law?
Elected are supposed to lead by example – not act from a gutter they crawled up from.
@Gggordon:
No – you are missing the point – deliberately.
POINT ONE.
Leo Varadkar and Fine Gael are allowing the laws of Ireland to be massive broken while telling others not to break the law – why? Because such law breaking is costing the state millions – ironically, not even as much as the actual millions lost through the Dept of Social Protection for any one year n the last four years. You forgot to mention any of this.
POINT TWO
Yes. MORE millions of Euro is actually lost by the State department itself that is actual lost through fraud within that department. Opps – funny how you skip over the full accurate facts that can be also independently verified.
POINT THREE.
Are you justifying the national breaking of laws to the tune of €70+ Million in 2017 so that far less amounts can be further saved?
On any scale what sort of madness is this?
POINT FOUR
€70 Million Euro is NEVER small scale (to any housing, health or other matters still crying out for further funding) when it comes to state revenue.
POINT FIVE.
It seems you are unwilling to read what’s ever stated – just willing to lie and spin to suit your own warped ideas. Example: http://uploads.im/uigZL.jpg
Carry on to a limited audience that’s foolish to swallow your rubbish.
@Gggordon: By the way, is there is something you don’t like about what’s on any Facebook page you give out about – why don’t you say something?
You won’t – will you?
No. That would mean you might having to further identify yourself.
It might mean you would be further expose for the type of person you might be?
No, just continue the cowards way out and take also digs at my family and I.
It’s about all you’re good – and you give out about others being negative? Irony!
@Unitedpeople: disagree on many parts but I share some concerns on jobpath, it’s not been properly vetted and I smell a tribunal in years to come. The idea is a great one, but the organisation of it is a shambles and tbh a huge con job.
@Unitedpeople: dude .. when I did question you on Twitter and Facebook you blocked me !!! You don’t let people who don’t agree with you engage … your censorship is up there with North Korea !!!
@dec dunne: Governments job isn’t to get things right. Their job is to mess things up and waste money. How else could they justify raising taxes? They need some margins to play with. Getting things right would put them out of a job.
Why does he think Varadkar is fantastic?
I would have thought it’s a fairly obvious followup question.
@methodical2020: I’m no fan of Tubridy but according to the sub-headline the interview was carried out by The Journal.
Of course leo is fantastic, you can live here without paying tax liam as an “atriste” if you so wish, try being a taxpayer under FG, before coming out with your Hollywood bull.
@Trevor Hayden: I’m a taxpayer under FG and not in any way affiliated or supportive of any party and I think Varadkar is doing a good job.
@Dave O Keeffe: That’s entirely your opinion dave and I respect that but as a doctor he not only made a hash of the position of health minister and as Taoiseach couldn’t give a s€€t.
Lives in Castleknock travels to leinster house every day obviously with his eyes shut as to not see or ignore the homeless crisis.
I know there is no quick fix to these issues but at least an attempt to solve the issues would be something.
He in my opinion is following in Enda Kenny’s footsteps pandering to the almighty European Union and to hell with the Irish electorate.
@Trevor Hayden: that’s entirely your opinion and I respect it. Health has been a mess for as long as I can remember and if you really believe there’s nothing at all being done about homelessness you’re not paying attention. There’s a lot being done but as you said there’s no quick fix.
I’d imagine leo and FG are fantastic if you have loads of money, but believe me he’s far from fantastic to the ordinary taxpayer!
Today, according to leo, Ireland was a small EU country when arguing with farage in the EU. Tomorrow Ireland will be a lot bigger so this can be used as an excuse for our govs incompetence on why they can’t fix our homeless and health crisis!
Today leo was comparing Ireland to cities in Europe. He said “We’re a nation of only 5 million people”. Tomorrow, our homeless figures will be compared to whole nations in order to make leo and our govs performance less bad.
@Adrian: disagree totally as a ordinary person he is doing a fantastic job for the ordinary tax payer.
Can’t understand this journalistic obsession with the opinions of celebrities. Well I can actually, celebrities sell print, print sales increase advertising, advertising revenue increases journalistic wages. An exercise in mutually beneficial back scratching.
The reality is Liam Neeson doesn’t live, work or pay taxes in Ireland, his agent is too smart for that so let’s be honest here his opinion doesn’t amount to a hill of beans.
I doubt if any homeless single mothers with children or elderly citizen trying to maintain dignity while lying on a hospital trolley for days would agree with Liam regards Leo ‘Thatcher’ Varadkar.
But there again if you really think about it Liam doesn’t actually care about their opinions either.
Coz Liam’s an expat celebrity living in the US…far far removed from their struggles.
@FrankDapavia: the thatcher thing ain’t sticking, no matter how the looney left try to make it.
@FrankDapavia: Homeless single mothers should be more copped on and stop being such idiots.
The danger is Leo is good at Phibbing
Fantastic actor, appears to be empathetic, and genuine on set, can play a variety of roles. Neeson isn’t a patch on him.
65????? That’s good Oil of Ulay!
Getting a job has nearer been easier for the genuine unemployed. We are heading for 5.5% unemployment rate. Well done to the Government for creating s good business environment. The trick now is to convince the remainder 5.5% that unemployment is becoming an unrealistic option. Those who are affected by disability must get proper assistance to be considered for employment based on their limited ability to work rather than their pretence that they deserve a life long disability allowance.
Now i get brexit a worry for the middle classes.
How many of these beefcake thrillers can neeson bang out?
@Noel James Doherty: Stallone is older and he’s still banging out The Expendables… Anyway I think LN just does them to keep busy and his mind off things.. I do wish he’d get stuck into meatier roles though.. he’s a decent actor..
@Noel James Doherty: he has some interesting films en route including Steve McQueens new film
Taken 4: Takin’ the Piss…
@Talleyrand Frye: who got taken this time, the dog? I’m just super jealous anyways, 65 and look at him I reckon he would be genuinely a tough nut
I’m a 100% will h Mr O’ Riordan, it’s just bananas the entire cat and caboodle!….
@Kate Flaherty: kit and caboodle??, cat and caboodle??
Very poor article, the journalist spent more time talking about Liam Neeson than talking to him…..zzzzzzz
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