Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Question 11: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he attended or was represented at Ministerial or official level at the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Berlin on 14 April 2011; and if he will report on that meeting. [8809/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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Ireland was not represented either at ministerial or official level at the meeting of NATO foreign Ministers in Berlin on 14 April. Apart from this meeting, there were meetings of the NATO-Georgia Commission, the NATO-Russia Council, the NATO-Ukraine Council, the countries taking part in the NATO-led operation in Libya and the countries contributing to the International Security Assistance Force, ISAF, in Afghanistan. As one of the 48 countries that contribute to ISAF, Ireland attended the ISAF meeting. The EU and the special representative of the UN Secretary General in Afghanistan also attended the meeting. Ireland was represented at official level and our delegation was headed by the political director of my Department.

The meeting confirmed the support of ISAF-contributing countries for the transition of seven areas to Afghan security control. This is the first tranche of the transition process announced by President Karzai last month. The aim of transition is to hand over security control to the Afghan army and police. This will be done in stages, accompanied by training and mentoring for the Afghan forces, which will become the focus of ISAF's work. The process should be completed by the end of 2014.

The meeting endorsed the strategy for the first tranche of transition, which has been designed jointly with Afghan partners. In addition, contributors underlined the importance of significantly increased political and diplomatic efforts to secure lasting peace in Afghanistan. This includes support for the process of reconciliation launched by President Karzai's High Peace Council last year.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Is it appropriate that troops from a neutral country such as Ireland should be involved with NATO in Afghanistan in what is by any serious definition an aggressive military action headed up by the United States, Britain and other large powers in a conflict characterised by atrocious violence against a civilian population, including the use of drones to bomb civilian areas on the border with Pakistan and within Pakistan and actions that have claimed the lives of many innocent civilians in Afghanistan? Given the Tánaiste's reference to President Karzai, does he not accept the President is a puppet-----

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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The Deputy's time is up.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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-----and the elections that brought him to power were rigged? What are we doing there? Why have we troops in Afghanistan when we are supposed to be a neutral country? Why are we linked with the NATO military alliance, a US-led, aggressive, Cold War relic?

Joanna Tuffy (Dublin Mid West, Labour)
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The Deputy's time is well over.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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The Deputy misunderstands Ireland's participation in ISAF. The force has a UN mandate, one that has been renewed annually since 2001. The current mandate was extended until 13 October 2011 by Resolution 1943 and enjoys the support of the 48 participating ISAF countries. ISAF's goal is to help restore security in Afghanistan, which is crucial if normal life is to be restored for people who have suffered a long-term conflict and if there is to be broader regional stability. The Irish contingent consists of seven members of the Defence Forces who are based at ISAF's headquarters in Kabul in non-combatant roles. In addition, Ireland has deployed civilian personnel with the EU police training mission. Ireland is also devoting considerable effort to economic development and reconstruction. Since 2007, Irish Aid has allocated more than €24 million in relief, recovery and development assistance to Afghanistan. More generally, the EU spends close to €1 billion per year on various civilian, political and development activities.