Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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9. To ask the Minister for Defence in view of the changing nature of the military situation in the Golan Heights and the recent intensification of violence in the region, his plans to seek a review of the UNDOF mandate under which Irish soldiers are serving in the area; if he or senior Irish military personnel have had discussions with the head of mission and Force Commander in relation to the changing nature of the conflict in the are; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34571/14]

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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My question is similar to the first two priority questions in that it relates to the changing situation in the Golan Heights. There have been developments in the situation since I tabled this question. I wish to know what the Minister's approach will be when he attends the summit on 26 September. I ask him to inform the House about the engagements, whether there was an exchange of fire and whether, as was reported, Irish troops were instructed to surrender.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I state categorically that Irish troops were never instructed to surrender. It is important to understand the role of Irish troops in the UNDOF mission; they are called a mobile force reserve. Most of the UN peacekeeping force are relatively lightly armed with rifles. However, the Irish contingent is different in that our troops operate in armoured vehicles known as Mowag vehicles with a mounted machine-gun. Troops are heavily armed and they are sent in to resolve difficult or awkward situations if and when these arise. This is the reason they have been so actively involved in the past weeks. For example, the Irish troops were the last troops to leave Camp Faouar, which was UNDOF's headquarters up to a few days ago. They have now redeployed into Camp Ziouani on the Israeli side of what is called the Alpha line.

I reiterate that the Irish troops were never asked to surrender. Other UN troops were in very difficult situations where the commanding officer needed to make sensible decisions to protect his troops and I believe he made the right decisions at the right time.

We have asked for reassurance from the United Nations which has extensive experience both in the Middle East and in Golan - UNDOF has been there since 1974. We need to respond on the ground to a significant change in conditions so that we can have a peace observation mission consistent with the mandate but which manages risk in an appropriate way. As I said earlier, I will not send Irish troops into a civil war situation; that is not their job nor is it the mandate and they should not be exposed to such a situation. They are highly trained and can deal with very difficult and awkward situations but the structures of this mission need to be adapted and are being adapted to address the change on the ground and we must wait to see whether this change may be temporary or permanent.

Catherine Murphy (Kildare North, Independent)
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With regard to the summit on 26 September I ask if there is a time line for sending the replacement force.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I have been invited to speak at the international peace-keeping summit which will be held in New York on 26 September, next week. It will have a focus on existing peace-keeping missions but it will also focus on attempts to build capacity for peace-keeping and conflict resolution on the Continent of Africa. This will also provide a very interesting opportunity for Ireland. However, the big decisions may well be taken today. The UN Security Council met yesterday and it will meet again today. Its members are trying to agree the wording of a statement on UNDOF which I think would give us reassurance with regard to structural change and potential equipment change available to that mission in the future, in order to remove the risk to which our troops may be exposed. I hope the UN Security Council will be able to agree an acceptable wording which it could publish today.

On the question about the timing for sending the replacement force, we delayed the rotation by two weeks because our troops on the ground who have been there for the past six months are implementing the new structures to ensure that when replacement troops arrive they will have the benefit of a new operational structure.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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Sorry, Minister, we are over time.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I expect that a rotation of troops will happen in the middle of next month, in October.

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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Given that the mission has been in place for over 40 years without having facilitated resolution of the Syrian-Israeli conflict which was what it was designed for in the first place, it appears there is very little we can offer there. Would the Minister agree that our troops would be better used somewhere like the Ukraine where a peacekeeping mission could certainly be of significant benefit or in the Congo where more than 5 million people have been destroyed?

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There are many conflict zones in the world requiring peacekeeping missions. However, Ireland and the Irish Defence Forces have a lot of experience in the Middle East. We have had a significant presence in southern Lebanon for many years. In my view our expertise is suited to this mission. We have also been asked in no uncertain terms by multiple countries to stay there because of the role of Irish troops in this mission and the professionalism they bring to it. I would need to think very carefully before making a decision to pull Ireland out but at the same time we need to be firm with regard to the changes needed to manage risk appropriately so that I can confidently send troops in the knowledge that the structure is appropriately framed to deal with changing circumstances on the ground.

Seán Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, Ceann Comhairle)
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I ask Deputy Ó Fearghaíl to forego his introduction to his question as only two minutes remain for this question.