Department of Foreign Affairs

Ireland and Libya Update

Pádraig Belton on February 23, 2011, 11:59 pm

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An Irish Aer Corps aircraft landed in Tripoli today at 4.50 pm to pick up Irish nationals, but was prevented from doing so by Libyan security. It remained on the ground four hours, and was afterwards obliged to return to Malta, according to an e-mail from Department of Foreign Affairs sources. They say efforts will resume tomorrow, and attempts also are underway to have Irish nationals accommodated on other EU flights endeavouring to leave from Tripoli. (This is a strangely …

Dublin Convention on cluster weapons comes into force

Pádraig Belton on August 2, 2010, 9:00 am

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Yesterday, cluster bombs became illegal over much of the world; in no small part because of Ireland. The Convention on Cluster Munitions, in effect from 1st August, was adopted in Dublin on the 30th May 2008 at the Croke Park Conference Centre. Disarmament is something of a niche specialism for Irish diplomacy – it was Minister for External Affairs Frank Aiken who introduced in the UN General Assembly the resolution that became the Non-Proliferation Treaty (which Ireland was the first country …

Irish inquiry calls for expulsion of Israeli officer

Aldous Duke on June 2, 2010, 8:16 pm

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The Irish Times reports that Israeli Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Zion Evrony postponed a planned appearance at an Oireachtas committee today to answer questions about the aid flotilla controversy, citing “unforeseen circumstances”. However it also reports today that a leaked report from an inter-agency group including the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Justice, the Department of the Taoiseach and the Garda has recommended the expulsion of an Israeli embassy security officer. It made the recommendation after concluding that …