Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs Brendan Smith has said the displacement of 500,000 people in Iraq’s second city Mosul is a major humanitarian issue that should be addressed by EU Foreign Ministers as a matter of priority.
Deputy Smith commented: “I am very concerned about the latest upsurge in violence in Iraq, forcing half a million people to flee their homes in fear for the safety of their families. The Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has asked parliament to declare a state of emergency.
“It is very worrying that the International Organisation for Migration has said there has been a high number of civilian casualties in Mosul and that a group of four hospitals are inaccessible due to the fighting.
“I will be asking the Minister for Foreign Affairs to press this issue with his EU colleagues as a matter of urgency. The next meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council is on June 23
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in Luxembourg and I am urging Eamon Gilmore to raise this matter now given the seriousness of the humanitarian situation.”
