Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

The proposal is that the House should accept these reports without debate, including that of the Minister for Defence regarding the involvement of the Defence Forces with the United Nations in 2007 and 2008. We do not agree to the taking of this proposition without debate in the Chamber. The reason is very simple. At the most recent meeting of the European Council the Taoiseach appended his name to a declaration that clearly welcomes the recent decision by the United States to send thousands of extra troops to Afghanistan to escalate the conflict in that country. That is totally and absolutely opposed by the overwhelming majority of Irish people who do not accept the legitimacy of the war in Afghanistan. As long as there is a small Irish contingent they should not be involved in the so-called international security assistance force, ISAF, operation, which is only a figleaf for what is now-----

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