Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

I thank the Senator for his remarks. The Liberian mission has been very successful. The mission was due to discontinue this month but the Government decided, at the request of the UN Secretary General, to extend it for 12 months. The mission will be gradually scaled down during that time. Since 1993 overseas missions have become riskier because chapter 7 or peace enforcement missions were added to the Petersberg Tasks.

I refer to peace enforcement missions, in which peacekeepers may be obliged to use force to make a peace settlement stick. Hence, in addition to the level of risk, the terms of reference which we are now entitled to use under the Petersberg Tasks must be taken into account.