Progressive Democrats TD Liz O'Donnell has called on the Government to push for the establishment of an internationally-sponsored peace process to help resolve the Lebanon conflict.
Ms O'Donnell said the appointment of a Permanent Secretariat such as the role undertaken by Senator George Mitchell in the North could build on work already being done.
Ms O'Donnell's suggestion secured the support of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee today.
"Ireland should be arguing for, and advocating at international level, the establishment of an internationally-sponsored and independently-chaired Peace Process with a Permanent Secretariat involving all sides particularly the US and Israel," she said.
"Permanent care and attention must be given to this volatile region by the international community. As we know from our own experience, the search for peace will never be sustained unless a political settlement reaches the causes of the conflict and respects the integrity and deeply-entrenched views of different factions."
She said while the tactics used by Hizbullah were deplorable, the ferocity of Israel's response was disproportionate and could only harden hearts and minds in the region.
"Central to the settlement of current hostilities is that the US must stop, by way of its relationship with Israel, somehow condoning breaches of international law," she added.
Ms O'Donnell said Ireland, as a non-aligned nation with a credible peace-keeping history, was now in a strong position to draw on its own experience and contribute to the international search for a political settlement.
