Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)

I am glad the Deputy asked this question because it might be opportune to clarify the situation. The Irish contingent with UNFOR is performing an outstanding humanitarian role. I met Javier Solana on Tuesday at the meeting of EU Foreign Ministers. He has been to Chad and he came over to me to thank me and to pay warm tribute to the professionalism of Irish soldiers and the role they are playing impartially and objectively. He could not say enough about the quality of the contribution which the Irish contingent is making in difficult and challenging conditions and which is in accordance with its UN mandate.

I am aware of this morning's The Irish Times report and the reported comments of a UNHCR spokeswoman in Chad which were critical of alleged inaction by our troops during clashes last Saturday between Chadian Government troops and rebels. I understand my colleague, the Minister for Defence, Deputy Willie O'Dea, fully responded to these claims in an interview on RTE radio this morning before his journey home from a visit to Chad. As the Minister for Defence said, the senior UNHCR official in the area of operations of the Irish contingent specifically thanked him for the performance of the Irish troops during the incidents over the weekend. The UNHCR official praised the exemplary and professional way in which the Irish troops did everything they were asked to do by his organisation.

The Minister for Defence also referred during his interview to an apology that was made by the UNHCR for the remarks reported in The Irish Times. I hope the position will be clarified further in time to come. While it is important not to exaggerate the extent of the clashes over the weekend, I am advised the Irish contingent responded appropriately and within its mandate to the circumstances it faced, including firing warning shots. Subsequently, a significant number of humanitarian workers, including UNHCR staff, were given refuge at the Irish camp Ciara.

It is important to be clear about the role of our troops in Chad. The Irish contingent and EUFOR as a whole operate under a clear UN mandate to protect refugees and internally displaced persons, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and to protect UN personnel, particularly the UN mission, MINUCRAT, which is deploying to support policing in Chad. It is not part of its mandate to intervene in any way in the conflict between the Chadian Government and rebels or to patrol the border with Sudan.

On the latter point, we are particularly conscious of the sensitivities of the situation and the neutral and impartial nature of EUFOR's mandate is crucial and has rightly been emphasised by the operation commander, Lieutenant General Pat Nash, who has reported on the positive impact the mission is already having in protecting civilians in danger and building positive relationships with the various actors in what is undoubtedly a volatile and difficult environment.

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