Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I tabled a question last week but the offensive operations started a number of weeks ago. I assume the Minister of State would have been aware of them before last week. There is concern that the US Government is undermining the UN missions on which its personnel serve in both Syria and neighbouring Lebanon, at a time when the security situation is already incendiary. The US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, said on a visit to the Middle East last month that the UN had bullied Israel for too long, and welcomed the reduction in funding from the US Government to the UN. I have also heard reports that when Ms Haley was visiting a position in north Israel, at the behest of the Israeli Defence Force, IDF, the Irish general in charge, Mick Beary, of the United Nations interim force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, was invited. However, the IDF then sought to undermine him, and the mission, in front of Nikki Haley.

There is concern in the Defence Forces that more is not being done on the international stage by governments to raise the deteriorating security situation and to defend our people and our position. Has the Minister of State raised any concerns at Government level about this? Has he pressed the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, to raise it with the US through diplomatic channels? In light of his experience as Minister of State at the Department of Defence, he will know the value of UN peacekeeping missions and our participation in them. There is concern that Ireland is not pressing the UN about the impression that the Americans are undermining UNDOF and UNIFIL, which involve some 600 Irish personnel. At the very least, I ask the Minister of State and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Coveney, to write a strongly worded letter to the ambassadors of both countries to express our dissatisfaction at the clear undermining of UN missions and our personnel in the area.

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