Jimmy Deenihan (Kerry North, Fine Gael)

To repeat my earlier question, who will protect the refugee camps the Irish mission was protecting? What arrangements are in place to do the work the Irish contingent was doing very successfully? The Irish personnel on the successful Chad mission earned considerable international respect arising from the manner in which they operated.

Is it the Minister's intention to leave some equipment behind in Chad given that some of it has been used extensively and it would be expensive to transport it to Ireland? Will the Minister confirm that Ireland's hard won reputation in the United Nations, which it has built up since the Congo mission, has not been undermined in the UN or among our peacekeeping partners as a result of this decision? It is important that the Minister provides this reassurance.

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