Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Question 43: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade nothing the UN Resolution 2009 of 16 September, that the UN proposes to establish a three month support mission to Libya, if Irish participation is being proposed and the form of same. [27386/11]

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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I welcome the adoption by the UN Security Council on 16 September of Resolution 2009. This resolution reaffirmed that the United Nations should lead the efforts of the international community in supporting the Libyan-led transition and rebuilding process aimed at establishing a democratic, independent and united Libya. It also established the United Nations Support Mission for Libya, UNSMIL. UNSMIL's mandate is to assist Libyan national efforts in a range of areas, including the restoration of public security and order, the promotion of the rule of law, the restoration of public service and support for human rights. Mr. Ian Martin has been appointed UN Special Representative and Head of UNSMIL.

UNSMIL is a civilian mission and will largely be staffed by police, judicial and political experts. It is expected that, at full strength, the mission will have a staff of about 60 persons. Many of these are expected to be drawn from within the UN system itself. I understand that, as a consequence, only a limited number of potential contributors have been approached. To date, Ireland has not received a request to contribute to UNSMIL. If such a request is received, it will be given careful consideration.

In addition to the establishment of the new UNSMIL mission, UN Security Council Resolution 2009 also sends political messages to the new administration in Libya and modifies arrangements for the arms embargo, the asset freeze and the no-fly zone. My Department continues to follow the situation in Libya closely. In addition, Irish Aid has provided over €1.3 million in humanitarian assistance to Libya since the beginning of this year.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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I would certainly welcome and fully support the move of the peoples of Libya for democracy but I do not believe the role of the UN and, in particular, NATO has done anything to further that aim. I note the Tánaiste said we have not received a request as of yet but, clearly, he would be open to an Irish intervention if that was the case. When one considers the role of the UN in the scenario in Libya to date, one would have to examine this. In reality, what we have had is a cover under the guise of the need to protect civilians, a claim that was contradicted by Amnesty and Human Rights Watch. There was a military intervention on one side of a civil war which went beyond the original objective of United Nations Resolution 1973-----

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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A question, please.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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The question is that this was the starting point of the international intervention under the guise of the UN. Effectively, everything was left to NATO, which had troops on the ground and basically outsourced security and peacekeeping, funded the Transitional National Council and is now intervening to deal with the fallout. It is not very democratic, particularly when a majority of the world's population opposed or abstained in regard to the original resolution to move into Libya.

Will the Tánaiste comment on the question of whether, if this request comes back, it will be dealt with? If the UN asks him, will he say "yes"?

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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First, I disagree with Deputy Daly in respect of the role of the United Nations in regard to Libya. This country has always argued that the United Nations should be at the centre, at the heart, of the actions taken by the international community, which was the case in this case. Resolution 1973 was for the purpose of ensuring that civilian populations would be protected. We can recall the way in which Gadaffi was attacking people in Misrata and, at an earlier stage, in Benghazi.

The position now is that it is not intended the United Nations will have any military presence in Libya. The presence that is intended by the UN is a civilian presence to support the establishment of democracy in Libya, the development of its public services and the rebuilding of the country after what has happened there.

As I said, Ireland has not been requested as of yet to provide any assistance. The type of request I would expect would be in the area of the provision of police, civil service experts, perhaps people from development agencies, such as Irish Aid, to develop humanitarian aid and perhaps in regard to infrastructural rebuilding. If we receive such a request, we will consider it very favourably, but no request has yet come.

Clare Daly (Dublin North, Socialist Party)
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Despite what the Tánaiste says, the UN was not at the centre of operations. In reality, it stood back and allowed NATO call the shots. The Tánaiste has again reiterated there would be no military presence. We were told this all during the situation yet everybody knows that special forces from the US, France and Britain were actively on the ground in contravention of the UN resolution. The point is they facilitated regime change in a country that has the biggest oil reserves in Africa. Clearly what is designed here is not assistance to develop democracy in Libya but to move in on that country's vital resources, including oil and water, and potentially one also will see a US military base on that continent.

Eamon Gilmore (Dún Laoghaire, Labour)
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During the course of the week I was at the United Nations in New York, I attended a high-level meeting on Libya on 20 September. I have heard what the National Transitional Council and its representatives have had to say, which is it is the council's intention to build a democratic state in Libya. It will be supported in that effort by the United Nations and Ireland will in turn support the UN. Under resolution 2009, the United Nations has been given the lead role in post-conflict Libya and Ireland will play its part, either directly or through its participation in the European Union.