Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Labour)
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To ask the Minister for Defence his views on recent comments by the NATO Secretary General, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, on his visit to Dublin when he stated that he hoped that the Irish Defence Forces would participate or cooperate in NATO led projects and missions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13153/13]

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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The Secretary General of NATO, Mr. Anders Fogh Rasmussen, visited Dublin on 12 and 13 February this year. He did so at the invitation of the EU High Representative and the Minister, Deputy Shatter, to participate in the informal meeting of EU Defence Ministers, which was held at Dublin Castle, as part of Ireland’s Presidency of the EU Council 2013. During his visit Mr. Rasmussen expressed his appreciation for the co-operation NATO has had with Ireland since we joined the Partnership for Peace in 1999. He paid tribute to the contribution Ireland made to UN-led peacekeeping missions and to UN-mandated missions which are led by regional organisations such as NATO and the EU.

Participation in overseas peacekeeping missions is a key element of Ireland’s foreign policy and has been an important dimension in meeting Ireland’s international obligations as a member of the UN and the EU. With the increasing use of more robust Chapter VII missions-operations in the past number of years, the UN has turned to regional organisations to undertake and lead missions on its behalf. In effect the EU, the AU and NATO, together with other similar such organisations, are now major players in UN peacekeeping.

Additional information not given on the floor of the House

It should be noted that any decision by Ireland to participate in an overseas operation, which may be led by the EU, UN or NATO would be subject to our national sovereign decision-making procedures - the triple lock, that is, the UN mandate, Government and Dáil approval, where appropriate.

As the House will be aware, Ireland has been contributing Defence Forces personnel to UN mandated, NATO-led missions since 1997, when we contributed personnel to the NATO-led Stabilisation Force, SFOR, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Our forces have and continue to serve in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

As members of Partnership for Peace, PfP, Ireland participates in PfP’s planning and review process. PARP. As part of this process, Ireland has adopted a range of partnership goals aimed at assisting Ireland to meet its UN-EU commitments in the areas of counter improvised explosive devices, C-IED, cyber security, network enabled services, etc. Membership of PfP has allowed the Defence Forces to gain access to NATO standards, which are internationally-recognised as representing best practice in military and related matters such as operations, procurement, training, civilian co-operation, etc. The Defence Forces participation in PARP will continue as part of our engagement in Partnership for Peace.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State will appreciate that the comments made by the Secretary General of NATO when he was here were insensitive at best. Ireland has a proud history of neutrality. Our Defence Forces have served across the world under blue helmet operations. Our people have played a leading role in conflict resolution on an ongoing basis, and that is our position. The Secretary General knows that very well. He was here because we have the EU Presidency and he should have been respectful of our neutrality. I am disappointed the Government has yet to publicly rebuke him. Has its members privately rebuked him? Have they complained to his office that it was disrespectful that he would be on some kind of a recruitment exercise?

It must increasingly be asked as to what is the point of NATO. It was about the Cold War between the USSR and the United States and two different world views. That is all over, apparently, and we have the United Nations which is supposed to be the body that is responsible for conflict resolution. What is NATO for, what is it about, and how dare its Secretary General come here and say that we should join it, rather than respect our neutrality? I want to get the Minister of State's on-the-record response to that. Has the Government formally protested about what the secretary general said?

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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On the record, I have the Secretary General's speech and he did not make the comments the Deputy attributed to him.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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There were reported in the media.

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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I am referring to a speech he made and he did not comment on that. I want to make it very clear that any participation in overseas peacekeeping missions is a key element of our foreign policy. Any time we get involved it is because we are fulfilling our international obligations as a member of the United Nations and the EU. Any decision by Ireland to participate in an overseas operation, which may be led by the EU, UN or NATO, would be subject to our national sovereign decision-making procedures - the triple lock, that is, the UN mandate, Government and Dáil approval, where appropriate.

As the House will be aware, Ireland has been contributing Defence Forces personnel to UN mandated, NATO-led missions since 1997, when we contributed personnel to the NATO-led Stabilisation Force, SFOR, in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Our forces have and continue to serve in Kosovo and Afghanistan.

As members of Partnership for Peace, PfP, Ireland participates in its planning and review process, PARP. As part of this process, Ireland has adopted a range of partnership goals aimed at assisting Ireland to meet its UN-EU commitments in the areas of counter improvised explosive devices, C-IED, cyber security, network enabled services, etc. Membership of PfP has allowed the Defence Forces to gain access to NATO standards, which are internationally-recognised as representing best practice in military and related matters such as operations, procurement, training and civilian co-operation. The Defence Forces participation in PARP will continue as part of our engagement in Partnership for Peace.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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The Minister of State will note that the question refers to the secretary general's recent comments, not his speech. I note on a report on the The Irish Times website that the Secretary General of NATO has invited the Irish people to join NATO - that the doors would be open for them to join. I repeat, has a complaint been made to hiss office? Has the Minister for Defence either publicly or privately rebuked him for his insensitive comments that were disrespectful to our position on neutrality?

Fergus O'Dowd (Louth, Fine Gael)
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Any NATO-led operation in which we are involved must be UN-authorised and whether it is led by the NATO, EU or AU, we participate on the basis of a United Nations authorised resolution and it is only on that basis that we get involved.