Ireland is not immune to terrorist attacks and there is no logical reason to suppose terrorist groups will not strike here. It is time to look forward, not only to our own defence but also to the defence of Europe as a whole. Our goal should be to assist and to be assisted within the European Union, which is on the brink of setting up a mutual defence arrangement which Ireland should join and help to shape its structure. No EU member state has the financial or military resources to resist the threat of global terrorism alone, as Senator Bradford said. Any common defence policy should adhere to UN principles, commit to nuclear and biological disarmament, mutual defence and support, the provision of peacekeeping and peacemaking operations and respect the right of member states to be involved in other military alliances.