Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)

Ireland has participated in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, since its establishment in 1978. UNIFIL's mandate has been extended by the UN Security Council on an annual basis. On 30 August the Security Council extended the current mandate of UNIFIL until 31 August 2012. UNIFIL continues to play a critical role in helping to promote peace and stability in southern Lebanon. Following a request from the United Nations, Dáil Éireann approved the deployment of a contingent of Permanent Defence Force personnel to UNIFIL on 21 April.

An advance party of 47 personnel of the 104th Infantry Battalion, together with a work party of 42 personnel, deployed to southern Lebanon on 30 May. The work party has since been repatriated. The deployment of the main body of the 104th Infantry Battalion was completed on 27 June. Currently, a total of 454 Irish personnel are serving with UNIFIL, including nine personnel at the force headquarters in Naqoura.

The Irish battalion is based in sector west of UNIFIL's area of operations in an area designated by the force commander, centred on the major towns of Tibnin and Bint Jubyal and the Blue Line which separates Lebanon and Israel. On arrival in Lebanon, the Irish battalion took over UN Post 6-5, renamed Camp Shamrock in Tibnin, followed by two forward UN posts, namely, UN Posts 6-50 and 6-52, and declared full operational capability on 27 July . The battalion now has responsibility for an area of operations measuring approx 140 sq km and which incorporates 11.3 kms of the Blue Line.

The Defence Forces have advised that the security situation in the Irish battalion area of operations is assessed as "calm" and the situation in the UNIFIL area of operations remains calm but unpredictable. The overall threat, from a UNIFIL perspective, for UNIFIL military personnel is assessed as "medium". There is no direct threat to UNIFIL personnel in the area of operations. However, the threat from improvised explosive devices, IEDs, is assessed as "high" along the coastal route to Beirut, in particular following attacks on Italian and French UNIFIL convoys on 27 May and 26 July, respectively, in the vicinity of Sidon.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House.

The Defence Forces battalion has been tasked primarily with patrolling, reconnaissance and ground-holding, while operating in close co-ordination and co-operation with the Lebanese armed forces in sector west. It is expected that the Finnish contingent will deploy with the Irish battalion by mid-2012. The Irish contingent will reduce once the Finnish forces deploy. Personnel of the 104th Infantry Battalion are scheduled to rotate in November.

The Defence Forces are playing a real and substantive role in helping to stabilise southern Lebanon and making a vital and important contribution to the success of the UNIFIL mission, as they have done throughout the world on so many occasions in the past.

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