THE Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs has been asked to support the replacement of Ireland's honorary consul in Mexico, the wealthy businessman, Mr Romulo O Farrill.
A delegation of the Irish Mexico Group which recently visited the country told the committee that because of his close links with the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the consul was "politically compromised". He should be replaced by a full time ambassador, the group said.
Mr Conor O Briain told the committee that Mr O Farrill was "not a suitable representative". He had contributed $75 million to the PRI in its last election campaign, a figure which drew envious gasps from the members of the committee.
Mr Des O'Malley of the Progressive Democrats agreed with the call for the consul's replacement. It was "inappropriate" that the country should be represented by him, he said.
Mr O'Malley said that he had protested against the awarding of an honorary doctorate to the consul by Limerick University but had been overruled. At present the Irish Ambassador to the United States was accredited to Mexico, but there should be a full time ambassador.
The acting chairman of the committee, Mr Ray Burke, said that the question of the consul's suitability would be brought to the attention of the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Mr Burke said that in fairness the Mexican ambassador to Ireland should be invited to address the committee also.
Mr Albert Reynolds when Taoiseach was a guest on the luxury yacht of Mr O Farrill off the coast of Mexico. Later, Mr Reynolds holidayed on the yacht when it was cruising in the Mediterranean.
The Irish Mexico delegation described widespread human rights abuses in the Chiapas region following the Zapatista uprising in January 1994. These include political assassination and torture. But the delegation also reported that the peace process under way between the Zapatistas and the government was making good progress.
A senior executive of Shell Nina, Mr Nnaeneta Achebe, told the committee that it was not correct to say that Shell was "propping up the current regime".
He was replying to criticism of Shell's role in the Ogoni region made to the committee by a Nigerian civil liberties lawyer, Mr Oronto Douglas, who accused Shell of causing serious pollution, arming the local police and being obsessed with making profits.
The committee two weeks ago passed a resolution condemning the execution of Ken Saro Wiwa and eight other Ogoni activists band calling for an oil embargo on Nigeria by the UN and the EU. It also invited a Shell representative to explain the company's role.
Mr Achebe said that Shell had made mistakes during its 60 years in Nigeria under 11 different regimes, but it was not involved in politics. The company spent $20 million annually on improving community relations.