Shane Ross says ‘compromise’ reached after Saudi UN vote row

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan will not disclose how Ireland votes on United Nations matters but controversial issues will be “red-flagged” to Cabinet after complaints from the Independent Alliance.

Minister for Transport Shane Ross asked Mr Flanagan at the Government meeting on Tuesday if Ireland voted in favour of Saudi Arabia’s election to the UN body on women’s rights recently.

Mr Flanagan refused to answer, citing a long-standing convention of not disclosing secret ballot votes, during what Mr Ross described as a “very direct” exchange of views.

“Compromise was reached. It was agreed in future any UN vote of similar sensitivity and importance would be flagged,” Mr Ross said.

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A row between Ministers was sparked last week when it emerged Saudi Arabia had been elected to the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

The matter was not on the formal Cabinet agenda but was raised by Mr Ross and his Independent Alliance colleague Minister of State at the Department of Health Finian McGrath.

Asked at the post-Cabinet briefing if the move could be viewed as a concession to the Independent Alliance, the Government press secretary said: “I don’t think there’s any harm whatsoever in having a conversation at Cabinet about foreign policy.”

Diplomatic protocol

The Independent Alliance Ministers accepted Mr Flanagan’s explanation of the diplomatic protocol, although they continue to disagree with it, according to their spokeswoman.

The vote for Saudi Arabia and 12 other countries has been characterised by Government sources as a formality, with 20 or 30 such competitions taking place every year.

All 13 countries were elected to 13 vacancies on the commission and no other countries lost out. Such elections normally take place by acclamation but it is understood the US requested a vote in this instance.

The voting recommendation would have come from Ireland’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador David Donoghue.

Also aware of the vote, thanks to their oversight role, would have been Mr Flanagan and the secretary general of the Department of Foreign Affairs, Niall Burgess.

Last week, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said the incoming UN Ambassador Geraldine Byrne Nason, currently Ambassador to France, “will do a superb job with pursuing the issue of women’s right in particular when she takes up her duty as Ireland’s ambassador to the United Nations later this summer”.

Mr Kenny was last week forced to clarify that he had not specifically raised the issue of women’s rights during a 2014 trade mission to Saudi Arabia.

The Dáil record showed he told Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin the issue of women’s rights had not been specifically discussed.

However, he said he had raised the issue of human rights with the Saudi Arabian authorities, “which obviously includes women’s rights”.