Annan praises Ireland's response to tsunami aid

Ireland’s response to the Asian tsunami tragedy was “fantastic”, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said today.

The Irish public donated some €55m to the disaster fund which, coupled with the Government’s contribution, saw Ireland give €75m in humanitarian aid.

Mr Annan praised such generosity, telling Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern he was aware of the donations and was “very pleased with such a fantastic response from Ireland.”

During a wide-ranging 30-minute meeting with Mr Annan at the UN headquarters in New York, Mr Ahern discussed various international issues including the proposed new civilian rapid reaction forces.

The minister made it clear that Ireland was “broadly supportive” of the idea, which would see forces deployed to stricken areas in a matter of days to work alongside the UN.

He also highlighted his desire for Ireland to play a stronger role on the Security Council, believing that the Republic’s neutrality would be beneficial.

“Mr Ahern believes there should be a better regional balance on the security council,” his spokesman said.

“The Secretary General is aware that Ireland is a neutral country with no colonial baggage and so could open doors where some historical colonial powers may not be able to.”

Mr Ahern said he was very pleased with the meeting, adding that in particular, there was clearly common ground on issues of EU reform and the need for rapid civilian response teams.

The minister will travel to Washington tomorrow where he will update senior Bush Administration officials on recent developments in the peace process and meet US special envoy Dr Mitchell Reiss as well as senators Edward Kennedy, John McCain and Hillary Clinton.