Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

Between mid-1997 and January 2003, a Defence Forces military police contingent of approximately 50 personnel served in the NATO-led Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, following Dáil Éireann approval in July 1997. The force is known as SFOR. The Irish contingent formed part of the international military police company at SFOR headquarters in Sarajevo. The military police contingent was withdrawn from SFOR in January 2003. A small number of Irish personnel remained in service at SFOR headquarters during 2003, and 12 personnel continued to serve with the mission until December 2004, when it was replaced by the EU-led Operation Althea or EUFOR.

The military authorities informed me that Irish personnel serving with SFOR in 2002 had no knowledge of US forces activities, which were or might have been incompatible with the SFOR mission, international human rights or humanitarian law. I am aware from recent media reports that socialist members of the European Parliament's committee investigating CIA activities in Europe called for a NATO representative to appear before the committee to answer questions concerning the possible involvement of the NATO-led Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the abduction of six people from Bosnia. However, as I already stated, the information available to me from the Defence Forces, who were based in Camp Butmir, is that they were not aware and had no knowledge of the matter.

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