Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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4. To ask the Minister for Defence if he will provide an update on the participation of the Defence Forces in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46965/13]

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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Last July, Fianna Fáil was happy to support the deployment of a contingent of Irish Defence Forces personnel to the Golan Heights in Syria, but that was done against the background of international concern and in a situation where the Austrian, Croatian and Japanese authorities had withdrawn their troops. What we seek today is an assurance of the continued safety of personnel serving in that location.

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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On 1 July 2013, Ireland received a request from the United Nations to consider contributing a mechanised infantry company to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, on the Golan Heights in Syria for the tasks of a force mobile reserve. Following Government and Dáil approval on 17 and 18 July 2013 respectively, the deployment of the 43rd Infantry Group, comprising 115 personnel, to UNDOF was successfully completed on 28 September 2013. The 43rd Infantry Group consists of a force reserve company and support elements. The group achieved full operational capability on 2 October 2013, meaning that they were operationally capable of fulfilling all aspects of their role from this date onwards.

The Irish personnel are based in UNDOF headquarters in Camp Faouar on the Golan Heights. Their role includes the provision of a quick reaction force which is on stand-by to assist with ongoing operations within the UNDOF area of responsibility. The Irish Infantry Group also carries out patrols and convoy escorts as necessary. In addition to the 43rd Infantry Group, there are also four Defence Forces personnel based in UNDOF headquarters. UNDOF is assisted by the military observers from the United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation’s, UNTSO, observer group Golan, which currently includes seven Irish officers. The deployment of the Irish Force reserve company to UNDOF helps to ensure that the mission can continue implementing its mandate. I believe the Defence Forces contingent can make an important contribution to the success of the UNDOF mission, as they have done throughout the world on so many occasions in the past. They have all the resources requested to enable them carry out this task.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I thank the Minister for his response and join him in wishing success to the troops. Our mutual concern is to ensure the success of the mission and the well-being of all involved. Any involvement in a UN mission axiomatically involves a degree of risk, but it is important that we are fully conscious of the particular situation that continues to exist in Syria generally and the Golan Heights in particular. Will the Minister assure us and is he is confident there is no uncontrollable or direct threat to our forces at that location?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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As the Deputy knows, there is great volatility in the country of Syria and in that general area. The escalation of the conflict in Syria has affected the UNDOF area of operations significantly in recent months. The armed forces of the Syrian Arab Republic have deployed and carried out military activities and security operations in the UNDOF area of operation. These activities are in violation of the 1974 disengagement agreement. Numerous clashes have also taken place between Syrian security forces and armed members of the opposition in the area of separation.

Given the evolving security situation, the mission has continued to reconfigure its operations with a view to ensuring the safety of the personnel while continuing to implement the mission's mandate.

UNDOF has continued to concentrate on static activities in an effort to reduce the exposure of personnel to danger while focusing on enhancing situation analysis, reporting and liaising with the parties to prevent the situation from escalating. In the context of their engagement in the area, Irish troops have performed admirably. They have been successfully engaged in matters when appropriate and I can tell the Deputy all of our troops are carrying out their duties as expected and ensuring the mission can continue in the manner that is appropriate in an area of great volatility.

None of us can be sanguine in the context of the particular area. Not only are the forces of the official Syrian Government involved, but it is now reported that there are in the range of 2,000 different groups engaged in conflict in Syria. Not all of them understand fully the mission of the UN in the area and our troops and those engaged in the mission will have to continue to engage with care and competence and with the skill exhibited elsewhere in the past by our troops.

Seán Ó Fearghaíl (Kildare South, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the follow-up response from the Minister. It needs to be said that we cannot be distracted by the moves in Syria to deal with chemical weapons. There is still chaos there. Will the Minister assure us our troops have freedom of movement across the Golan Heights and in their area of responsibility?

Alan Shatter (Dublin South, Fine Gael)
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A humanitarian tragedy is being played out in Syria and unfortunately, as I stated on a previous occasion, no solution is in sight to bring an end to the terrible conflict. We know there are now more than 2 million refugees located in countries outside Syria; there are in the region of 5 million displaced persons in Syria; and there are outbreaks of diseases in Syria. Forces on all sides have committed war crimes and atrocities and civilian populations have suffered hugely. Hundreds and thousands of individuals have been injured, some very seriously. All I can say is that our contingent is in a position to undertake the mission it has been requested to undertake and has been engaged successfully in this mission.