Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome Mr. Dorr. We have known each other for a long time. As always he has interesting and provocative views, which is no harm. I welcome the changes in foreign policy. I believe they will involve all Departments at all times and through the embassies the Department will feel a greater responsibility for ensuring that they are playing in the national interest throughout the world on a full-time basis in a way that was not expected of them before because they were restricted totally to diplomatic issues. Now they are involved in the trade area also, which is important. Does Mr. Dorr agree with that?

The international scene has changed considerably. Mr. Dorr mentioned that the world population had increased threefold since the 1950s and our population has almost doubled since the 1950s when it stood at approximately 2.56 million. This is a worldwide phenomenon and we will need to make changes. Does Mr. Dorr believe we have the capacity to change and adopt new policies capable of dealing with the emerging situation of worldwide strife, starvation and international aid? Have we developed the skills to be able to deliver in a precise way and do so quickly?

Northern Ireland and Anglo-Irish relations are important and it is no harm to mention them in this context.

I do not agree it should be part and parcel of our daily bread and we should spend our time moaning about what we have not done. We spent 800 years moaning about what was happening and about our relationship with our neighbours. A great deal has been achieved. It is true everybody should continue to work on what has been achieved and try to develop it further. To what extent does Mr. Dorr think all avenues are being explored at present with a view to bringing the agreement and peace to a new level, taking into account the need for the Governments in the UK and here and the respective parties in Northern Ireland to recognise the importance of the achievements so far, the need to ensure there is continuity and follow up, and that the island as a whole needs to benefit, as it is doing to my mind, from the agreement already reached? This does not in any way minimise or belittle what has been achieved because it has been colossal. We amended our Constitution to facilitate the structures now in place.

I would love to see a debate on neutrality in the modern context. As Mr. Dorr pointed out, neutrality does not mean the same thing it did in 1939. Some refer to Ireland's neutrality as the traditional position, but there was no traditional position until 1939 when, to my mind, it was the right decision for good tactical reasons. I am sure the former leader of Fianna Fáil will forgive me for agreeing with them in this context. Traditionally Irish people had been involved in wars throughout the world, in this continent and in others. It was nothing new to the nation to be involved in what one might now call peacekeeping.

Another issue is emerging, and I particularly ask that it be dealt with. Since the 1950s we have developed unique skills in the area of peacekeeping in a way very few other countries have. We have done it successfully and our Defence Forces have achieved a huge degree of respect throughout the world for themselves and the nation. They have done things which would not have been expected of us 25 or 30 years ago. They have always stood their ground honourably and have earned a great deal of respect for this. To what extent can we expect to use our diplomatic and peacekeeping influence in the emerging world of today, whether in Europe, wider Europe or worldwide? Should we move to a second level?

NATO has been mentioned and I have long been of the opinion the UN has done a good job but it has limited capabilities in terms of deployment, logistics and the rapid delivery of heavy armaments when required, a case in point being the war in the Balkans when the UN was unable to deploy quickly and effectively in a supportive way which was necessary at the time. Lessons must be learned from this and perhaps some consideration should be given to a means of trying to ensure whether it is sufficient for a country in Europe to be neutral and to state in the event of an outbreak of hostilities that it will remain neutral and will not get involved. What happens in the event of such a country being attacked itself?

I will not mention Irish Aid other than to state I believe we have done a very good job and the Irish people have shown over many years their commitment and concern. They have led by example in a way which other nationalities could follow.