Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

On 20 November 2007, the Government authorised the despatch of a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force for service with the UN-mandated EU operation in the Republic of Chad and the Central African Republic. Dáil Éireann approved the necessary enabling motion on 28 November 2007.

It was initially expected that a Defence Forces initial entry force, comprising an advance party of approximately 50 personnel of the Army Ranger Wing and support elements, would deploy to the mission later this month. The main contingent, comprising some 400 personnel, which is currently undergoing selection and concentration prior to detailed mission-specific training, was expected to deploy in February or March 2008. However, the deployment of the initial entry force has been deferred until the new year as vital enabling elements such as helicopters, tactical aircraft and medical support associated with the launch of this operation are not yet in place. This deferral may — I emphasise the word "may" — have a knock-on effect on the deployment of the main body of the force.

I assure the House that there is no question of the Defence Forces deploying in theatre without the required enablers being in place. The shortfalls in vital key enablers for the mission are being actively examined and addressed by the operation commander in consultation with the European Union Military Committee. As I indicated to the House on 28 November 2007, I expressed my concerns about these shortfalls at a recent meeting of EU defence Ministers in Brussels. I urged my ministerial colleagues to consider the shortfalls and to actively support the mission, ensuring that it is adequately resourced and capable of fulfilling its mandate.

The current situation demands that all options should be explored in an effort to overcome the capability shortfalls for this mission. We need to do this expeditiously in order to reinforce the credibility of the ESDP as an EU instrument. To this end, I wrote to my EU ministerial colleagues last week appealing to them to consider constructively how they might be able to contribute to the successful launch and operation of this mission without further delay. The European Union has an opportunity to make a real and substantive contribution in Chad. If anything, the recent failure of the ceasefire and increase in hostilities points to the need for the international community, particularly the EU, to act to stabilise the situation and ensure vital humanitarian support for those on the ground.

See this speech in context