John Minihan (Progressive Democrats)

I welcome the Minister to the House. I also welcome the Government's decision to participate in the United Nations mission in Lebanon, UNIFIL II, and its continuing efforts to bring about peace in this region.

We last spoke on the Middle East on 5 July. We were concerned that the kidnap of an Israeli soldier, Corporal Shalit, by Hamas supporters based in Gaza would lead to an escalating crisis and eventually military conflict between the Palestinian Authority and Israel. I stated that the Israeli reaction to the abduction was a questionable response to a complex situation by an untried and inexperienced Israeli Government. Today, Corporal Shalit is still held captive but, I am glad to say, appears to be alive. In mid-September, Egyptian mediators negotiating with Hamas on behalf of the Israeli Government received a letter from him. I hope he will be released sooner rather than later.

I am relieved that wiser heads have prevailed in the resolution of this situation, that the military escalation has been halted and that the two sides are talking, if only through proxies. It is unfortunate though that this moderation has only been achieved as a result of the tragic events that unfolded in Lebanon this summer. While I do not wish to place the blame for those unfortunate events to one side, it is important to understand them if we are to prevent a recurrence of such bloodshed.

The trigger for these events was the abduction on 12 July of two Israeli soldiers by Hizbollah. Hizbollah claims that this action was justified as a response to the Israeli occupation of the Shebaa Farms border area, which Lebanon claims but which the United Nations says is Israeli-occupied Syrian soil. There can be no justification for the criminally reckless Hizbollah action. Its leadership knew, or ought to have known, how the untried and inexperienced Israeli Government, already under considerable pressure from its own hawks over missile attacks and Gaza, would react. That it risked the lives of its own fighters from the inevitable Israeli retaliation is the business of Hizbollah. That it risked the lives of ordinary Lebanese citizens is unconscionable.

Israel too must analyse the part it played in the resultant bloodshed. I do not deny the right of any nation to defend itself against aggressors but those aggressors must be properly identified and targeted. Indiscriminate, disproportionate targeting of the civilian population and of Lebanon's infrastructure has no part in international relations.

I echo the comments made by Senator Mooney regarding the Canadian UNTSO officers who lost their lives and the part played by a former colleague, Commandant John Molloy, a UNIFIL liaison officer, who made nine calls. As a former UNIFIL officer, this process has many unanswered questions. The UNTSO observation post has been in place for over 30 years. It was marked on maps, flagged and clearly identifiable. Military weaponry is so sophisticated that the grid references for any firing in an area are computerised. If there is any slippage, a firing close comes in, a call is made and the weapons are readjusted. The fact that Commandant Molloy made nine calls but no action was taken and the Canadian officers lost their lives poses many questions for me as an army officer who has been in the same situation.

Lebanon and its Government should also examine the part it played in the tragedy and how the situation unfolded on its southern border. While Lebanon and its people were undoubtedly the victims in the conflict between Israel and Hizbollah, successive Lebanese governments must share some of the responsibility. Since the final withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon, the disputed Shebaa farms apart, successive Lebanese governments have failed to exercise full sovereignty over all Lebanese territory and have failed to disarm and disband the militias as envisaged in United Nations Resolution 1559.

Turning to the future, the tragic and senseless killing in southern Lebanon has thankfully ended. We now have a new UN resolution, 1701, and a new mandate, known as UNIFIL II. This new mandate envisages an increase in number of UN troops in Lebanon to 15,000, to include a contingent of approximately 150 Defence Force personnel as part of a joint Finnish-Irish unit. I understand that our personnel will be tasked primarily for reconnaissance, security and protection duties associated with the engineering works undertaken by the Finnish contingent. We will also be giving specialised assistance in the area of explosive ordnance disposal and the clearing of mines.

Cluster bombs have been referred to in this debate and I also wish to echo the comments made in this regard. A cluster bomb is a most despicable weapon. It explodes mid-air and spreads small bombs and mines widely over a very large area. Children pick up these small bombs and mines and people walk on them. Such bombs are very difficult to control and detect. I hope the international community moves to ban the use of cluster bombs.

When Irish troops last withdrew from Lebanon in November 2001, I, like many people, hoped that we would finally be drawing a line under that chapter of the Defence Force's involvement in Lebanon. It is a chapter that reflects well on this country and its commitment to the UN. We all believed that we had left Lebanon a better and safer place than when we found it. Unfortunately, we have been called back to write a postscript, nevertheless, I am sure that this generation of Irish soldiers will rise to the challenge just as successfully as their predecessors.

I wish to emphasise the value of Irish soldiers in Lebanon. We have spent a considerable amount of time there and many Irish lives are entwined with Lebanon. This country has played a considerable part in the affairs of Lebanon. My first tour of duty in Lebanon was in 1983. At that time, villages were deserted. When I returned in 1986, 1988 and 1989, I saw those villages reinhabited, commerce and local government underway and people being able to go about their normal daily lives. This is what we achieved. It was so distressing this summer to see all this work undone.

I hope this early intervention will enable us to be in a position to again restore this stability. I conclude by wishing our Defence Force personnel God speed and safe home. Finally, lest we forget that the three Israeli soldiers at the centre of this summer's events are still captive, I hope it will not be long before they are reunited with their families.