Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Exactly. It is a big mistake because it is to maintain the peace through the use of force. It is qualitatively different from other missions in which Irish peacekeepers have participated such as UNIFIL and UNDOF which operate under Article 6. The Army Rangers Wing is an elite special forces unit that is not trained to participate in peacekeeping missions. When one adds the two together, it is a significant departure from what we normally do. The response the Minister of State has given is identical to the one he gave me in January. It is now April and we are none the wiser. The idea of a small neutral state such as Ireland having its army rangers wing involved in this mission is absolutely abhorrent and smacks of an effort to curry favour with the French and, possibly, the government in Mali in a bid to get on the UN Security Council. It is incredibly dangerous and we should have nothing to do with it.

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