Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Since 1974, the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, has successfully supervised the implementation of the disarmament agreement maintaining an area of separation between Israeli and Syrian forces on the Golan Heights. An infantry group of 130 personnel deployed to the UNDOF mission with the approval of Dáil Éireann in September 2013. It acts as a force reserve company, providing a quick reaction force which is on stand-by to assist with ongoing operations within the mission area. Ireland has also deployed a counter-improvised explosive device (IED) team.

The Defence Forces contingent was deployed in response to the then-escalating armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic to protect peacekeepers and military observers in monitoring the area of separation. The Irish contingent deployed in full armour with extensive weapons, appropriate to the prevailing security position. Prior to the initial deployment of troops to UNDOF, a full threat assessment and mission reconnaissance was carried out by the Defence Forces. The chief of staff advised the then Minister that the proposed Defence Forces contingent operating within the numbers and the weapons constraints imposed by the UN had the capability to operate effectively as a force reserve to UNDOF and discharge the mandate. The further escalation of the conflict in Syria in recent months has affected the UNDOF area of operations very significantly. Syrian armed forces have deployed and carried out military activities and security operations in the UNDOF area of operations. Numerous clashes have taken place between Syrian security forces and armed members of the opposition in the area of separation. More recently, there have been direct attacks on UN personnel deployed in the area and peacekeepers have been detained by armed elements.

Since 27 August, in response to hostilities, the Irish contingent has dealt with several incidents at the request of the UNDOF force commander. On 29 August and in a follow-up operation, the force reserve company assisted in the safe extraction of 58 members of the Philippine battalion. On 30 August, Irish soldiers extracted 35 Filipino troops from a position surrounded by rebels. In the course of these incidents, Irish troops came under fire and returned fire. The 45 Fijian peacekeepers detained by armed elements in late August were released unharmed on 11 September.

Given the evolving security position, the mission has continued to reconfigure its operations with a view to minimising unacceptable risks to peacekeepers while continuing to implement the mission's mandate. However, in the past fortnight, there has been a fundamental realignment of the UNDOF mission, reflecting the deteriorating position on the ground. The UNDOF headquarters, including the Irish contingent, has now been relocated to Camp Ziouani on the Israeli side of the area of separation. What has happened in the area of separation is entirely unacceptable, and I particularly condemn the unwarranted attacks on and the detention of UN peacekeeping personnel. This is a monitoring mission designed to report on breaches of an agreement between Israel and Syria, and its structure is designed to this end. All parties should respect the mission mandate, and there can never be any justification for the attacks on or detention of UN peacekeepers. Ireland remains committed to the mission but in light of recent events, I have indicated that a fundamental review of the capacity of the mission to fulfil its mandate is necessary. I personally discussed this review with the Under-Secretary General for Peacekeeping Operations a number of weeks ago in Milan.

The UN Security Council was briefed on the mission in detail 17 September by the UN Secretary General. On 19 September, the President of the UN Security Council issued a strong statement reaffirming the Council's unconditional support for the UNDOF mission and emphasising the importance of maintaining UNDOF as a vital contributor to peace and security in the broader Middle East. The Security Council noted in the statement the necessity of efforts to flexibly adjust UNDOF's posture to minimise risk to UN personnel as UNDOF continues to implement its mandate, while emphasising that the ultimate goal is for the peacekeepers to return to their positions in the UNDOF area of operation as soon as is safe and practicable. The Security Council also noted that it was important to maintain UNDOF's force strength to the level necessary to carry out its important mandate and to retain the quick reaction and counter-IED capabilities provided by Ireland, and which the Council noted as indispensable in the face of the challenging security environment.

I welcome the strong endorsement of the mission from the Security Council and the call to maintain force strength and key enablers during this period of reconstruction. In that regard, the UN Secretary General will report again to the UN Security Council around mid October on steps to maintain UNDOF's capacity to discharge its mandate. I intend to discuss the matter further with UN authorities when I travel to New York later this week for an international summit on peacekeeping.

As I stated at the outset, UNDOF has played a key role in maintaining peace and security in the area of separation between Israel and Syria since 1974. It continues to have a role in that regard and Ireland contributes a significant element of the support and protection required by the force. Further restructuring is required and this is in process, and given current plans and the strong and unconditional endorsement of the mission by the UN Security Council, including the capabilities provided by Ireland, I am satisfied we can continue to contribute to the mission. On that basis I have advised the Government today that the Defence Forces will continue to participate in the mission and the rotation, as planned, will proceed. The 44th Infantry Group will be replaced by the 46th Infantry Group, with the new deployment commencing next month. I expect this to happen in mid October, which is two weeks behind schedule, as that was agreed a number of days ago. This delay arises because it was deemed that structural changes in the mission should be in place before the arrival of a new deployment, with the people on the mission best placed to bed it down.

I commend the recent efforts of the 44th Infantry Group in its role as UNDOF's quick reaction force and the personnel in discharging their duties effectively, with courage and professionalism, together with all the peacekeepers participating in UNDOF. The Government and I place a high importance on the valuable work done by the Defence Forces in the challenging operational conditions faced in the region and in other missions around the world. I wish the new deployment of 130 troops well in the challenges they will face in the months to come.

Robert Troy (Longford-Westmeath, Fianna Fail)
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I welcome the opportunity to address the House on this matter and I appreciate the Government arranging these statements. As my colleague, Deputy Ó Feargháil, did last week, I acknowledge the work done by the Minister, Deputy Coveney, on this matter. Many families are deeply concerned about loved ones who are providing distinguished service on behalf of the country in this particularly difficult theatre of the Golan Heights. The families of troops who may participate in the next rotation are equally concerned and I take this opportunity to thank the families of all the troops serving overseas. They make enormous sacrifices so our soldiers can carry out important services on behalf of the country, and their contribution should be recognised today as well. We share the concern but we also take pride in our servicemen and servicewomen overseas. Today I particularly remember and salute Army personnel from Westmeath who are part of the 130 troops in the 46th Infantry Group. As the Minister indicated, it will deployed some time in October to the area in question.

These will replace the 44th infantry group which was deployed last March. As one of the Deputies representing Athlone, the home of Custume Barracks, I thank the Minister and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Conor O’Boyle, for visiting last week to acknowledge and mark the deployment of the 46th infantry. I thank the Minister for his invitation. Unfortunately, I could not be present. It made a change from his predecessor who when he came to Custume Barracks never invited certain Deputies. I welcome the fact the Minister acknowledged all Deputies from the constituency last week. His presence and that of the Chief of Staff testified to the high esteem in which the service men and women, and their families, are held by all national and local public representatives and at the highest level of Government. They are fantastic ambassadors and it was right and proper that the Minister was there to acknowledge them last week.

I join others, inside and outside the House, in applauding the soldiering professionalism of our Defence Forces who are deployed on the Golan Heights. Our troops are individually and collectively correctly trained and their personal equipment and armaments are of the first order. The level of protection afforded to them with their electronic counter measure, ECM, enabled MOWAG APCs, armoured reconnaissance vehicles and heavy weaponry is reassuring from a force protection standpoint.

Our soldiers are doing Ireland proud in this most challenging theatre in a fast-changing security environment. They are a pivotal part of Ireland's foreign policy in pursuit of international peace and security. I share the concern of others in identifying the outdated nature of the present Security Council Mandate for UNDOF. It was first agreed in 1974 and its regular extension since then had been adequate until the outbreak of internal hostilities in Syria two years ago. The present mandate is not workable in the current crisis and does not take cognisance of the new security reality in the UNDOF area of operations, or more correctly stated, the area of separation, AOS, identified in the UNDOF mandate. The Al Nusra Front rebels are prominent in, and adjacent to, the AOS. Indeed, the flame of the internal struggle against the Assad Government was first lit in the town of Derra immediately adjacent to the UNDOF AOS.

I urge the Minister to demand that the UN provide immediately all necessary means required by our troops, and all those in UNDOF, to ensure their safety while carrying out the essential elements of the mandate. I especially call on the Minister to request the UN to deploy immediately sufficient UN helicopters to the AOS to provide the necessary lift and recovery capability consistent with the new operational requirement of the evolving operational tempo. Of greatest importance is the provision by the UN of the required tactical and operational intelligence essential to the UN forces to operate safely in the AOS. This is a critical force protection necessity. Managing risk is essential for our troops. The certainty of timely and accurate intelligence is the cornerstone of this.

In a recent public statement the Minister suggested that the UN forces of UNDOF withdraw to the Israeli border. This was an unfortunate lapse in correct terminology in an area where accurate commentary is essential. The Golan Heights is termed Israeli occupied Syria in international law. The recognised border of Israel in international law is some distance south of the AOS and withdrawing to the correct Israeli border would ensure that the mandate of UNDOF could not operate.

The planned replacement of the present Irish contingent in UNDOF should proceed, subject to the assets identified by me being put in place. Soldiering in any scenario is a tough business. We are duty bound as politicians to ensure the safety and security of our soldiers when so deployed is not compromised. When the Defence Forces initially deployed to the Golan Heights the current UN Security Council Resolution was the same as the resolution in force at present. The security situation both in Syria and in the UN AOS on the Golan Heights differed little at that time from the fragile security situation today.

Ireland committed to a Chapter VI mission to a demilitarised zone, which is no longer relevant. The United Nations must make significant changes to address this issue. Has the Minister demanded that additional UN helicopters be positioned close to the area of separation to increase the lift and recovery capability of the UN force? Has consideration been given to strengthening the armed elements of other contingents in the region? I understand the Irish contingent is providing security for the 1,200 strong force. Should we not ensure that other contingents are armed to the same degree?

Ireland's mission to the Golan Heights will continue. I wish all those who have been deployed a safe and successful mission. They are embarking on another phase of Ireland's long and proud record of service with the UN and they can be sure of our full support in doing so.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome the fact that time has been set aside to discuss this issue in the Dáil. We and the rest of the Opposition have called for this.

All Deputies have been unnerved by recent developments in the Golan Heights. We all share real concern for the health and safety of Irish troops stationed there on the UNDOF mission. Irish Defence Forces personnel who have served on UN peacekeeping missions have been a credit to the country through their professional conduct and exceptional work. Sinn Féin is committed to positive Irish neutrality and an independent foreign policy. We believe Ireland should actively work to promote conflict resolution, peaceful democratic settlements and pathways and mechanisms to facilitate self-determination of peoples throughout the world.

Our country's background in conflict resolution means Ireland can draw on many lessons which could be applied to other conflict situations. The State's history of serving in UN blue helmet peacekeeping missions is a matter of pride and enhances our standing as a neutral state. However, sending troops to the UNDOF mission is not a simple or straightforward decision. As we know, UNDOF was set up in 1974 to patrol and monitor the strip between Syria and Israel but it has been increasingly caught up in Syria's civil war, with rebel groups attacking UN bases and kidnapping peacekeepers.

Ireland was asked to provide troops to the mission after Austria announced it was pulling its troops from the mission over security concerns and because the EU failed to renew its arms embargo on Syria. When we debated this issue on 18 July 2013, my colleague, Deputy Seán Crowe, made clear that Sinn Féin felt that the current mandate for UNDOF was not fit for purpose and that EU decisions, coupled with the continued erosion of Irish neutrality by consecutive Governments, robbed Irish troops of their neutrality on this mission. Sinn Féin voted against sending Irish troops on the UNDOF mission after that debate and we stand over that decision. Although Sinn Féin was against this deployment, we recognise that the Government got Dáil approval to deploy these troops, and we have used all opportunities to ensure their safety. That is of paramount concern to everybody in this House.

I know that almost all UN troops in the region are now deployed in the Israeli occupied Golan Heights area, including Irish troops, and that the UN Security Council released a statement last Friday strongly backing and unconditionally supporting the UNDOF mission. The statement also calls on the Secretary General of the UN to provide the Security Council with an update on the "steps necessary to maintain UNDOF's ability to carry out its mandate" within 30 days. Why did the Minister not wait for the publication of that draft report before making the recommendation to Cabinet which has been endorsed? Why did he not get more clarity on the changes that will be put in place and the reassurances that we require before making this decision?

We have breaking news reports today that the US, with the support of some Arab countries, has carried out air strikes against ISIS targets in Syria. This further muddles the complexity of the Syrian war. Many neighbouring countries are supporting rebel and radical Islamist groups in a variety of direct and indirect ways, while symbolically helping the US to bomb ISIS targets supposedly without the approval of the Syrian Government. It has been reported that Islamic State fighters will now flee towards Kurdish areas. Kurdish defence forces have bravely fought off Islamic jihadists since 2012. Kurdish areas have become a haven for refugees fleeing persecution, but they may now be overrun. According to reports, over 60,000 Kurds have fled from ISIS in northern Syria - over the Turkish border - in the last few days. Sinn Féin fully supports the Government's humanitarian support to the vulnerable and impoverished Syrian population and refugees. It would support Government initiatives to increase the humanitarian aid and support supplied by the State. We believe aid should be sent to Kurdish regions in Iraq and Syria. This should be negotiated directly with Kurdish officials. All sides in the Syrian conflict need to begin a negotiated cessation of violence and enter into inclusive peace talks immediately. ISIS is known for its extremist and sectarian beliefs which have been brutally enforced in areas they have conquered, causing massive human rights abuses and executions. Sinn Féin condemns this militant group in the strongest possible way. I will summarise our concerns. The UN Security Council was divided from the beginning of the Syrian conflict. Its inaction allowed the conflict to continue without any resolution process being put in place. This had absolutely devastating consequences. The international community failed in this regard.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The UNDOF mission is not about the Syrian conflict.

Pádraig Mac Lochlainn (Donegal North East, Sinn Fein)
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Unfortunately, it has a knock-on effect. The arms embargo that was removed by the EU before we went out there undermined our neutrality in that equation. A similar point can be made regarding the emergence of ISIS. It is clear that interested parties in Europe and the US were supporting rebels in Syria who were heavily financed by the Gulf states, which are allies of Europe and the West, apparently. Now we have the evolution of ISIS, which has been heavily financed by the Gulf states. The world needs to confront and defeat this despicable and reprehensible organisation. This is a scenario of mixed messages. It is a complex situation. The Filipino Government recently expressed its concerns about the UN instructions given to soldiers on the ground. This is a mess. Our concerns remain. We await the UN report about how it intends to reorient this mission. The Minister said last week - I am paraphrasing - that he does not want our Defence Forces to go into harm's way. We are all realists in this House. When we send our peacekeepers, of whom we are immensely proud, into peacekeeping operations while wearing the blue helmets of the UN, we know they might be in harm's way. Every one of them accepts that role fully, bravely and courageously. Many of them have died in the service of our country while peacekeeping across the world. We must not unnecessarily - for no good reason - put our troops in harm's way. That is the concern we continue to have. I hope we can get the clarification and reassurance we require in the time ahead.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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I would like to share time with Deputy Wallace.

Michael Kitt (Galway East, Fianna Fail)
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Is that agreed? Agreed.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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While I have no doubt about the bravery and good intentions of the Irish troops participating in the UNDOF mission, I think the time has come to pull them out. I do not think we should continue to participate in this mission, which is largely irrelevant in the current context. We should not be endangering the lives of Irish troops in the middle of an extremely dangerous mess that has been created as a consequence of the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. I refer to its cynical manipulations in Iraq, and now in Syria. I could say the same about Russia. Their manipulations in this area have created an absolute hornet's nest, the worst expression of which is obviously ISIS. These dangerous people are now overrunning parts of Iraq and Syria. This mess has resulted directly from the US invasion and occupation of Iraq. The US sponsored a sectarian government that used sectarian politics - divisions between Shia and Sunni Muslims - to fuel the growth of ISIS. This needs to be taken alongside the Western support of brutal autocratic regimes like Saudi Arabia and Qatar, which have been sponsoring certain armed elements to manipulate cynically the crisis in Syria. I should also refer to the extraordinary double standards when it comes to the treatment of Israel, which has been allowed to get away literally with the murder of Palestinian people in Gaza. All of the chickens of the West's hypocritical policy in the region are coming home to roost in the most dangerous and terrifying way with the rise of ISIS. Our troops should not be put in the middle of that dangerous cocktail.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Our troops are not in the middle of that.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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We have already had one group-----

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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The Deputy should be careful with what he is saying. Our troops are not going into that.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The safest thing-----

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There are families listening to this debate. The Deputy should be careful in what he is saying.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The Minister should be careful.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I am being very careful.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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He should pull them out. There is no good reason for them to be there in this dangerous situation.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There is. There are very good reasons.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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The situation is getting completely out of control. It is spilling over into Kurdistan and Turkey. God knows where it will go from here. Therefore, I see no purpose in our troops being there. I think we should pull them out.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Our troops are not there.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Our troops are in the UNDOF buffer area.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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They are in the Golan Heights.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Yes.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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There is no presence of ISIL or ISIS in the Golan Heights.

Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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Some of the rebel groups are operating in that area. Some of the conflict is taking place there. It is spreading across Syria and into Turkey. If the Minister knows where it will end, I think he is making a serious mistake. The US is escalating the conflict by starting to bomb. This will fuel a situation that is already dangerous and disastrous. The most useful thing we could do in these circumstances is pull our troops out for their own safety and finally begin to stand up to and challenge the inconsistency, hypocrisy, manipulation and double standards of what the big powers are doing in the region, which has fuelled the growth of ISIS and the other insurgent Islamic groups. We should stop supporting regimes like those in Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We should stop co-operating with an Egyptian regime that is digging the grave of the Arab Spring in Egypt. These are the sorts of things we could usefully do instead of endangering the lives of our troops. If there is no problem, why has the Minister said the mission should be reviewed? Why has he said we need to rethink its whole purpose? It is obviously in the context of what is happening in Syria that the Minister is making such remarks. If this was not an issue, the headquarters of the mission would not have redeployed and the Minister would not have said in his speech that the whole basis of the mission is being reconsidered. He said that it needs to be reviewed. That is being done because the Minister can see what a dangerous mess there is. I am saying we should go one step further by pulling the troops out and finally beginning to challenge the disastrous policies of the Western powers in the region.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I wish to take this opportunity to clarify a few issues because I do not want this debate to broaden out into a general debate on the Middle East and policies in that region. We have an involvement in two very significant peacekeeping missions in this part of the world. One is the UNIFIL peacekeeping mission in southern Lebanon which Ireland has had major involvement in for many decades. Pretty close, geographically, to that we have had 130 troops in a peacekeeping mission on the Golan Heights for the past 12 months. The decision that I have to make, given the changing conditions on the ground, which is always a possibility in any of these volatile areas, is whether we work with the other partners involved in the mission, along with the UN, to restructure the mission and to effectively "de-risk" what our soldiers are being exposed to and maintain what has been one of the most successful peacekeeping missions operated by the UN. Deputy Wallace said that the mission has been a failure but UNDOF has operated since the 1970s observing an armistice between two very powerful nations who were at war until then and it has been hugely successful.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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It was not meant to provide a political solution. The mandate is a Chapter Six peace observation role where the UN operates within a 75 km long strip, with Mount Hermon at the northern end, down along the Golan Heights. The UN had a string of posts manned by peacekeepers who were observing the adherence to an armistice and peace plan between two countries and it was hugely successful.

The situation on the ground, as everybody has acknowledged, has dramatically changed over the past number of months and, in particular, in the past number of weeks and the mission has responded to that by relocating and redeploying troops to safer locations out of what was previously a demilitarised area but which has now become part of the civil war in Syria. The troops are now located west of an alpha line which the Israelis control where there were a series of UN posts already because the mission was about observing the Israeli side as well as the Syrian side. Undoubtedly, the ability of the mission to fulfil its mandate, for the moment, is compromised. Notwithstanding that, the judgment I had to make, having spoken to various ambassadors of countries which are interested and have a stake in ensuring stability in the Middle East, was whether we are better off having a UN presence in that region - in a relatively safe zone, which the troops are in now - in order to try to encourage and deliver stability because the last thing the Middle East needs now is a war between Syria and Israel, or whether we pull out and allow the mission to collapse. I asked the UN for three things, the first of which was the restructuring of the mission. I also asked that the UN adopt an open mind towards a re-evaluation of the equipment available to the troops to make sure they can protect themselves and that the UN Security Council would make a very strong and clear statement to that effect. The UN agreed to all of that and as a result, I believe that Ireland should be committed to this mission because it is much safer now than it has been in recent weeks because of the change and redeployment that has already happened. The redeployment is not still under discussion but has already happened. Our troops are well trained and are capable of dealing with potential difficulties but they are now unlikely to encounter such for the foreseeable future because I do not envisage a significant UN presence on the Syrian side of that alpha line any time soon. The only UN troops on the Syrian side of the alpha line are Nepalese troops on Mount Hermon. Their posts are at high altitude and will soon be covered in snow. Furthermore, there is no appetite for a civil war in that part of the Golan Heights.

Commentators are talking about ISIL and Islamic State and US bombing in Syria. It has been made clear to me that the rebel forces and militia in the Golan Heights are not ISIL or Islamic State, but what is called the al-Nusra Front, which is an offshoot of al-Qaeda. They have different objectives and we are unlikely to see any bombing happening in that place.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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We have seen a structural and dramatic change to the mission, but this remains a peace observation mission. We will review the weaponry that is available to our troops and to others who are working with us. If Ireland was to pull out of this, it would result in this mission having a destabilised future which, in turn, would contribute negatively to instability in the region.

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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Such instability is not something we should allow.