'Bridge-builders and talkers': Coveney outlines case for Ireland joining UN Security Council
Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has outlined Ireland's case for membership of the UN Security Council in New York.
Mr Coveney addressed the UN General Assembly in the early hours of this morning.
In a wide-ranging address, he appealed to the US to reconsider cuts in funding to UNWRA, which provides aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Minister Coveney said Ireland had many qualities that make the country a suitable candidate for the Security Council.
He said: "We Irish are by nature bridge-builders and talkers. But we listen too - to all sides - and work to build collective solution to our global challenges. We are committeed to hearing the voices of all of you, to forge consensus and common purpose."
He opened his speech by saying: "Geographically, Ireland may be a small island on the Western edge of Europe. But in Ireland we see ourselves as an island at the centre of the world, with a global diaspora more than 10 times the size of our population at home.
"We have learned that, in an inter-dependent world, the challenges of our time do not respect geographic boundaries."
He also referred to the Troubles in saying: "Ireland's experience of prolonged, intractable conflict but also a successful peace settlement...shows that even decades-long conflicts can have a turning point."
The speech in full can be read here.
