Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

It will depend on the circumstances of the mission.

In regard to what the Deputy said about a force being endorsed, supported, sanctioned and so on, the law provides and will continue to provide that we will only commission troops on international peacekeeping operations if the United Nations directs that we do so. Everybody knows the United Nations want troops to keep the peace or to prevent people from being murdered in various regions but we cannot contribute such troops because of a technicality. The wording of the United Nations resolution does not meet the requirements of the Irish Defence Act, and it is not as if the Security Council of the United Nations would have a copy of the Irish Defence Act before it whenever it draws up a resolution. That would be absurd.

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