The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Ahern, has asked EU foreign ministers to intervene with the Belarus authorities to prevent a ban on "Chernobyl children" travelling to Europe for recuperation.
The Belarus president, Mr Alexander Lukashenko, last week announced his intention to limit the numbers of children travelling to Europe because of the "consumerist" values they were bringing back to Belarus.
His proposals could result in an outright ban on children suffering from the effects of the Chernobyl disaster travelling to Ireland for medical treatment and recuperation.
Addressing an EU General Affairs and External Relations Council in Brussels this week, Mr Ahern said he was very concerned about the implications of the president's announcement. "If implemented, these proposed new regulations would add a new and worrying dimension to the isolation of Belarus from the rest of Europe . . . It is an issue which I would wish to see pursued with the Belarus authorities on humanitarian grounds, with a view to encouraging them to modify their position."
Mr Ahern's intervention was last night welcomed by Chernobyl Children's Project founder, Ms Adi Roche. "I am very heartened he is showing his personal interest, but I would expect nothing less from this particular Minister who, on a personal level is very aware of the benefits to these children of coming to Ireland."
Claims by Mr Lukashenko that funds would be more appropriately spent on providing treatment in Belarus made "zero sense", she said. "It is out of the question that any NGO would hand over money raised for these projects, when we know that the children would still be eating sleeping and breathing in a radioactive environment. Logically speaking it makes zero sense."
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