Billy Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)

The Fine Gael Party supports any humanitarian or other measures and assistance the European Union or Government can provide. The Minister indicated that MONUC, which has 17,000 troops and costs €1 billion, is the largest UN peacekeeping operation.

I listened to Deputy Michael D. Higgins comments on the failure of the current financial model and the role of the United Nations. Does the Minister agree the current problems in the Democratic Republic of Congo are a classic example of the failure of United Nations peacekeeping? MONUC is a strong, established peacekeeping force which has fallen into disrepute and lost the confidence of local people. Approximately 1 million people have been displaced. It is made up of a number of nationalities. The force has been subjected to investigation. For the first time, an internal disciplinary investigation unit was set up to deal, inter alia, with the sexual exploitation of the local population. I implore the Minister to use his influence at the GAERC meeting to examine the concept of the EU providing peacekeeping support for the Democratic Republic of the Congo. We can talk about the African Union using its influence and I notice the British and French diplomats stated, "You better stop the war, or else...". What is meant by "or else..."? No one likes to see the use of force, but we must have a meaningful peacekeeping presence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and regrettably, the force there at present does not supply it.

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