Éamon Ó Cuív warns of escalating global conflict, urges de-escalation
Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív warned of escalating global confrontation and cited the UN Secretary-General Antonio Gertes' warning that the world could be heading towards a wider war. He asked what the Government is doing to de-escalate violence and promote dialogue at United Nations and European community levels.
UN Secretary-General warning
Ó Cuív referenced Antonio Gertes' warning that the prospect for peace is diminishing, noting the Secretary-General's comment that 2023 had begun "staring down the barrel of a confluence unlike any in our lifetimes." He also highlighted the move of the doomsday clock to 90 seconds to midnight as part of that warning.
Question to the Government
Ó Cuív asked what concrete steps the Government is taking to reduce confrontation and promote dialogue in the United Nations and the European community, framing the issue as urgent given escalating conflicts worldwide.
Response on the doomsday clock and conflicts
The minister responding said they shared concerns about global conflicts and questioned the long-term interpretation of the doomsday clock, observing its historical baseline over decades. The minister also said that conflicts were occurring "not just in Ukraine, but in Ukraine and elsewhere."
Position on peace and responsibility
The minister stressed the Government's work at EU and UN level to make the case for peace, emphasising that any resolution must be a just peace and arguing that the priority is to stop aggressors as part of de-escalation efforts.
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Teachta, confrontation and violence seem to be escalating worldwide, and no less a person than the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Gertes, has warned that we could be heading towards a wider war. He also said that the prospect for peace keeps diminishing, and that he fears that the world is not sleepwalking into a wider war. I feel it is doing so with its eyes wide open. He noted that scientists and security experts had moved the doomsday clock to just 90 seconds to midnight last month, and he concluded, we have started 2023, staring down the barrel of a confluence unlike any in our lifetimes. My question is, what is the Government doing to de-escalate confrontation and violence, and to promote dialogue in both the United Nations and in the European community? Thanks very much, Deputy, and I heard the Secretary-General's words, and I share the concerns about escalating conflicts around the world, not just in Ukraine, but in Ukraine and elsewhere. In relation to the doomsday clock, it is around about 70 years now, and it's always been 20 minutes from midnight, so I would bear that in mind too. I know it's three seconds now, or four seconds, but when something's been 20 minutes or less from midnight for 70 years, you start to wonder about the clock, in fairness. But leaving that aside, the serious point you raised is a valid one, and what we can do at European level, at UN level, we do, to make the case for peace. But a peace has to be a just peace, and I know you didn't specifically raise Ukraine, but I think when it comes to these conflicts, it's the aggressors that need to stop. And that's the focus that we have at EU and UN level.
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