John Gormley (Dublin South East, Green Party)

The Minister stated yesterday and repeated today that this mandate is considerably more robust than the previous one. Does this mean we could be drawn into hostilities at some stage?

From what the Minister stated yesterday and today, the nature of our role in assisting the Lebanese Government is not clear. Deputy Coveney said yesterday we will be assisting the Lebanese Government to disarm Hizbollah. Is the Lebanese Government mandated to disarm Hizbollah? Are we not mandated to assist it in doing so and, if so, are we not thereby disarming Hizbollah indirectly?

The Minister stated the disarmament of Hizbollah will only take place in the context of an overall agreement. What does he mean by this? Does an overall agreement involve Syria and Iran sitting at the table? Does it involve addressing the question of the Shebaa Farms, a disputed territory, and the Gaza Strip and West Bank?

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