Paschal Mooney (Fianna Fail)

I too welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Treacy, to the House. I am pleased he has returned refreshed from his recent exertions. The assertion by some elements of the media that Deputy Treacy needed that type of publicity to gain a profile showed an appalling ignorance of the political system and the role he has played not only here and in his Galway East constituency, but representing Ireland as our Minister with responsibility for European affairs in many international fora. In his speech to the House, he informed us he represented Ireland at a critical meeting in Luxembourg yesterday. This perceived lack of profile is more a reflection on the ignorance of those journalists than it is on the Minister of State. I have wanted to say this for the past week, and I am glad I have the opportunity of saying it in his presence. He is someone for whom we have great respect and admiration, apart from the affection we hold for him personally in the House.

I am a member of the Association of Liberal Democrats for Europe within the Council of Europe. At a recent meeting we listened with great sympathy to the story of Karnit Goldwasser, the wife of Udi Goldwasser, one of the three IDF soldiers kidnapped on 12 July 2006 by Hizbollah. I have in my hand a photograph of the couple on their wedding day which took place on 14 October last year. He is still in captivity. Karnit's story brought home to us the human dimension to the unfolding tragedy of the Israeli-Lebanon war and the impact it continues to have on families in both countries. Udi Goldwasser is one of three IDF solders kidnapped, the others are Gilad Shalit and Eldad Regev. The European Union has called for their immediate release and the group of which I am a member supports the call.

The Israeli army, I am glad to say, has now withdrawn from all of Lebanon. UNIFIL has deployed 5,000 international troops in south Lebanon alongside units of the Lebanese army. I welcome Ireland's decision to contribute 150 peacekeepers to the new force. The first stage has now been completed and full deployment is on course for November.

Let us not forget that the immediate cause of the recent conflict was an unprovoked attack by Hizbollah on Israeli territory on 12 July. Official Lebanese figures put the number of Lebanese deaths at 1,191, with 4,405 injured. The UN estimates that some 30,000 homes were damaged or destroyed, and physical damage amounting to between €3 billion and €6 billion was inflicted by Israeli attacks.

I am not taking account of the hundreds of thousands of cluster bombs which were dropped almost exclusively in civilian areas——