Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)

I understand the element of urgency in the motion and the Fine Gael Party is happy to facilitate the Government in this regard. In the past three years, I was coordinator for human rights for the EPP-ED group on the European Parliament's Committee on Foreign Affairs. We passed seven different motions relating to the conflict in Darfur and western Sudan and its impact on the region. The Darfur conflict has seen misery, murder, rape and some of the most appalling humanitarian conditions prevail. The result has been the flow of people from Darfur to eastern Chad.

I am proud the UN peacekeeping mission to Chad will be led by an Irish military officer. Major General Pat Nash, who I have met on many occasions in Collins Barracks in Cork and other venues, will relish taking on this challenge. He has much experience in the Balkans but this will be by far his largest challenge. He will be responsible for providing the operations commander for up to 4,000 peacekeeping troops in Chad, a significant peacekeeping effort. It is a positive appointment enhancing Ireland's reputation for peacekeeping.

Getting a mission ready for January leaves a short timescale for what will be a complicated challenge. Major General Nash will liaise between the UN and the EU and produce reports on the build-up of the mission. It would be helpful if these reports on support systems for troops were laid before the Dáil. We do not want to send troops into a war zone without sufficient support in equipment or numbers.

This mission is a positive development for the EU, largely due to the efforts of France's new President, Mr. Sarkozy. The EU must take a more proactive position in supporting UN efforts at peacekeeping. Even though we must make sacrifices in budgets, costs which the Minister outlined, we can well afford it. Any Member who has been to that part of Africa knows the conditions people live under are almost like those from another planet. The relatively small sacrifice in moneys is negligible when related to our responsibilities as a wealthy country in a wealthy continent to provide leadership in protecting people and their human rights.

What is happening in Darfur is an international scandal. Ireland is as responsible as other EU member states in allowing the massacre continue over three years of over 250,000 people, many of them women and children. The establishment of this peacekeeping mission is a signal that something concrete will be done. However, this mission is about protecting a refugee population. We must ensure sufficient troop numbers and supports are put in place in Darfur, the real open sore of this conflict. That can only happen through increased pressure and brave decision-making at EU level, which has not happened in the past five years.

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