Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)

——know at first hand that the role of peacekeeper is a very difficult one. It is not about going in with all guns blazing, it is a question of making contact and gaining the confidence of the people who need to be supported. The Irish are the best in the world in this regard because we have this unique skill. I hope that skill will be used when our troops go to Chad and the Central African Republic. It is important that an Irish person has been chosen to work as operations commander.

I believe ultimately in the proper funding of the United Nations. The European Union should act as a unit in supporting these missions, not only by providing troops but also by putting its hand in its pocket. I do not see why any EU member state should be able to opt out of helping to meet the cost of this mission. As the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, mentioned in his speech, no member state is unable to contribute in accordance with its wealth. The right way for the EU to organise these missions is for every member state to pay its share in line with its individual wealth.

It has been pointed out that this mission is being organised as a consequence of what is happening in Sudan. As previous speakers said, the sooner we tackle that problem, the better. Those of us who are not from Africa are not fully au fait with the manner in which the boundaries of various countries on that continent, such as Somalia, were formed in the first place. There are many questions to be asked in that regard. Do we know about the culture involved, for example? To what extent are we familiar with the methods of governance used in these countries? I refer to the tribal system, for example. It is dangerous to send outsiders to Africa if they do not know what is happening on the ground.

I am glad that we seem to have learned our lesson. The EU was cowardly — we stood back and allowed a slaughter to take place — when the difficulties in the former Yugoslavia escalated. If we can play a real peacekeeping role as part of the efforts being made to solve the problems in Chad and the Central African Republic, we will be playing our proper role in world politics. We have learned from the terrible happenings in Rwanda. I do not think we can hold our heads with great authority in that respect.

This motion seeks the permission of the Dáil for the dispatch of Major General Pat Nash as operations commander of a proposed EU mission. I understand and appreciate that the Minister will bring a further motion before the House when a decision needs to be made on the strength of the force that Ireland will send in support of the mission. The mission should be a real EU operation. It should not be confined to half, or a quarter, of the EU. While some member states may not be in a position to supply troops to the mission, each member state should contribute to its cost. I am not considering this aspect of the matter purely from a financial perspective. I hope the point will be strongly made at a meeting of the Council of Ministers that each member state should recognise this mission by making a commitment to it. This may be a matter for the foreign Ministers of the EU member states, but I do not doubt that the Minister, Deputy O'Dea, will have an opportunity to speak to his colleague, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, at some point. If he agrees with me, he will make this point to the Minister, Deputy Dermot Ahern. The most important thing is the message that is sent out. If we can afford to fund the entire operation, that is not the point. The EU, as a whole, should show that it is committed to playing its part in this important mission.

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