Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

A formal request has been received for soldiers from the United Nations. I have consulted the Minister of State, Deputy Conor Lenihan, who has recently been to the Sudan and who has spoken to me about it in some detail. Our current commitment to UN missions abroad is 750 soldiers. According to the terms of the request we received, the mission will be a peacekeeping operation. A peace treaty has been signed and forces are necessary to maintain it.

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