asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he intends taking any initiative, during the Irish Presidency of the EC, to encourage dialogue between the Palestinians and the Israelis.

15.

asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline the matters discussed with the Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Yasser Arafat, during his recent meeting; if he will make a statement on his recent meetings with other political leaders in the Middle East; and if any possible moves to assist progress towards peace are planned either unilaterally or through the EC.

I propose to take Questions Nos. 1 and 15 together.

On 11 and 12 November, as a member of the EC Troika of Foreign Ministers, the Minister for Foreign Affairs visited the Middle East where he met the Chairman of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation, Mr. Yasser Arafat; President Mubarak of Egypt and the Egyptian Foreign Minister, Mr. Esmet Abdel Meguid; the Secretary-General of the Arab League, Mr. Chedli Klibi; and the Prime Minister of Tunisia, Mr. Hamed Karoui. Ireland is therefore already fully involved in the Twelve's efforts to promote a Middle East peace settlement.

The purpose of the visit was to assist the peace process which we believe can be advanced only on the basis of the Twelve's policy as set out in the Madrid Declaration of 27 June 1989. The Minister for Foreign Affairs also met Israeli Prime Minister Sahmir and Foreign Minister Arens in Paris on Tuesday for the same purpose. He has also been in correspondence with US Secretary of State Baker who has made considerable and commendable efforts to get the two sides together.

In all our contacts, we have stressed that a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians must lead to a comprehensive settlement which: must be based on U.N. Security Council Resolution 242 and 338 and the exchange of land for peace; would guarantee the right of all states in the region, including Israel, to exist within secure borders; and would allow the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination.

We have also said that we believe that the PLO, whose role in representing the Palestinian people we have recognised, must be part of this process.

In Tunis and Cairo, the forthcoming Euro-Arab conference in Paris was also discussed. This meeting of European and Arab Foreign Ministers will take place in Paris on 21 and 22 December and will re-launch the Euro-Arab dialogue. Both sides also recorded their support for the Taif Agreement on Lebanon and expressed their desire to see a full internal settlement leading to the withdrawal of all foreign armies.