Taoiseach to call for end to 'grave situation in the Middle East' at UN assembly
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Taoiseach Simon Harris has reiterated calls for a ceasefire in the Middle East amid escalating regional tensions.
His call comes as he travels to for the United Nations General week.
The situation in the Middle East and the ongoing war in are the top items on the agenda.
Mr Harris is due to arrive in today for three days of engagement, including bilateral meetings with other world leaders, including the Secretary General ónio Guterres.
The meeting comes as tensions worsen in the Middle East. At least 31 people died in an Israeli airstrike in a Beirut suburb on Friday, including three children and seven women. It was the deadliest strike of conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.
Hezbollah said that the dead included 16 of its members, including senior leader and another top commander, .
The strike sharply escalated the conflict between Israel and the Iran-backed group and inflicted another blow on Hezbollah after two days of attacks in which pagers and walkie-talkies used by its members exploded. The total death toll in those attacks has risen to 39, and more than 3,000 were injured.
Mr Harris has urged calm and reiterated calls for a ceasefire and hostage release deal after almost 12 months of bloody war since the Hamas attack on October 7 last year and the subsequent Israel-Gaza war, which has cost thousands of lives.
"My focus will be on the grave situation in the Middle East," he said.
"The immediate priority of the international must be an immediate ceasefire and hostage release deal. The humanitarian situation in is catastrophic. A dramatic scaling up of humanitarian assistance is urgently needed. The safety of and other humanitarian workers must be adequately protected. All efforts must be made to prevent escalation in the region and I call on all sides to practice restraint."
Additionally, the conference will discuss the ongoing war in . Ukraine president Volodomyr Zelenskyy is to travel to the US in the coming days to present a plan to end the war to US President Joe Biden.
“Ireland has been clear in our unwavering support for the Ukrainian people, and for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine," Mr Harris said.
"In my meetings, I will be urging all countries to support President Zelenskyy’s peace plan and efforts towards a just and lasting peace in that is based on the principles of the Charter. In the meantime, we must do all we can to support Ukraine to defend itself against Russian aggression."
Tánaiste and Foreign Affairs Minister Micheál Martin is also attending meetings in the coming days as part of the United Nations General week.
“Ireland’s foreign policy is rooted in a belief in multilateralism, a commitment to the rules-based international order and adherence to international law," Mr Martin said,
"UNGA 2024 is a key international moment for Ireland and indeed the world. I look forward to working with like-minded partners and, vitally, those with whom we may not agree, to seek solutions and find a way forward to build a more peaceful, prosperous, just and sustainable world.
I also look forward to engaging with a wide range of counterparts to discuss the urgent need to address the conflicts in the Middle East, Ukraine and Sudan.”