Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I expect we will discuss the situation in the Cental African Republic at the Foreign Affairs Council next Monday. I welcome the adoption by the United Nations Security Council on 5 December 2013 of Resolution 2127. It authorised the deployment of an African Union-led peacekeeping force for 12 months, and the deployment of French forces to support the African Union mission. At a conference in Paris in December, African leaders also indicated that the number of African troops to be deployed to the Central African Republic will increase to 6,000. I commend the African Union and France for their leadership roles in the crisis. I hope the peacekeeping mission can help to bring stability to the country and restore security and public order, as well as protecting the civilian population.

We have been intensifying our humanitarian effort together with our EU partners. It is our view, however, that a comprehensive UN-led response is the best mechanism to deal with the root causes of the crisis, to restore law and order, and ensure long-term stability. In this context, I hope the option of a UN peacekeeping operation will continue to be considered.

See this speech in context