Independent TD Finian McGrath criticised the Government's foreign policy on Cuba.
He claimed there appeared to be a "fudge" on the part of Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern regarding the "2,000 people killed and the 3,500 injured over 47 years". This was the core issue, he added.
"A small country is being attacked by [terrorist] groups based in Miami and we have nothing to say about it. That is unacceptable."
Mr McGrath urged the Minister to call on the US government to investigate the terrorist activities of groups infiltrated by five Cubans known as the "Miami Five", with a view to ensuring there would be no repeat of those actions. The five are serving sentences in US prisons.
"Does the Minister agree with Amnesty International that the denial of family visits [to the men] is a form of torture?" He said the Minister should support the "Miami Five" in Ireland.
Mr Ahern said the Government condemned all abuses of human rights, but it was fair to say that the Cuban regime had left much to be desired regarding human rights issues over the past 50 years or so. "This is one of the reasons the EU, as far back as 1996, adopted a common position in this regard." Mr McGrath said the US had not done so.
Mr Ahern said the Government was willing to act in a balanced way. It was not all "Cuban, good; US, bad". There was a requirement to be fair.
"On a case-by-case basis, there must be a clear raising of issues." He said that Ireland, through the various instruments at its disposal, had raised the issue of human rights abuses.
This happened whether they occurred in the US or Cuba. "Over the years, we have voted at the UN Assembly against the US embargo of Cuba."
