Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I meet colleagues inside and outside the European Union as Minister for Defence, I find there is enormous respect for the role played by this country. There is enormous respect for the reality, as well as for the perception that we have no agenda of any description, other than trying to assist in bringing about peace and stability in various troubled regions of the world. That is what our seven members are doing as part of the ISAF. They have engaged in administrative work during the years and made a very important contribution.

One area in which I would expect the Deputy to have some sympathy is the training of individuals to neutralise improvised explosive devices. I presume the Deputy thinks improvised explosive devices are bad and that it is a very good idea to stop them blowing up and killing people. I have no differences with the him regarding concerns he may express about people being killed in military accidents. None of us can justify that type of event. Unfortunately, awful tragedies happen in war zones. However, I am always interested in the Deputy's selective condemnation. There is no mention of innocents being blown apart in Taliban bombings. There is no reference to the extent to which women are borne down on by the Taliban and treated as second-class citizens. There is no reference to women being shot for having the impudence in their teenage years to want to be educated. There is no reference to all of these issues. Afghanistan is a difficult and complex country and this has been a difficult and complex conflict. The UN forces are engaged in a process of withdrawal. Ultimately, I expect some forces to remain as an aid to the civil government.

The Deputy is stuck in something of a time warp. He thinks the Soviet Union still exists and that the Cold War is continuing. The main role of NATO, apart from dealing with European-Atlantic security issues, is as a regional body working in co-ordination with the United Nations in peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions.

This State has been part of NATO's Partnership for Peace for very many years. I can tell the Deputy that there is no public concern, beyond the concern in his head, and the heads of a small number of people who are still locked into Cold War politics about this State being part of NATO Partnership for Peace, together with all of the other neutrals in the European Union and being able to participate in an organised way in peacekeeping missions in different parts of the world.

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