Frances Fitzgerald (Fine Gael)

I am delighted to have the opportunity to contribute to these statements. As one from an Army family and as a former Fine Gael spokesperson on Defence, I very much value and appreciate the role which our armed forces have played on the international stage. It was a great honour when I led the first all-party visit to our troops in Lebanon some years ago and saw first-hand the invaluable work they were doing there, and the contribution they made to peacekeeping in the area and to supporting civilians and ensuring their lives were somewhat less hazardous than they would otherwise have been.

I noted a number of the points made by the Minister of State in his comprehensive speech. He referred to the visit made by the former President, Mrs. Mary Robinson, scenes from which many of us will have seen on television. She was horrified at the experiences of the displaced refugees. It is extraordinary to consider the numbers involved. As a result of the clashes, as Senator Feeney stated, 180,000 Chadians are internally displaced and 236,000 Sudanese refugees are living in camps.

The tragedy of conflict and war is that when people are moved to camps, far from receiving enhanced security, the camps themselves can often become places of danger, potential assault and rape, which appears to be the problem in this case. There is poor security in the camps and I hope the Defence Forces, when they arrive, will be able to enhance the security of the camps and make them a place of safety rather than a place of further threat.

I have no doubt the Army is pleased to be part of this international peacekeeping and peace-enforcing force. Obviously, there are concerns, in particular with regard to safety issues, equipment, water safety and whether the tents supplied are adequate. The Minister of State noted that key enabling elements, such as medical facilities, medevac and helicopter and fixed wing tactical lift aircraft, are not in place. He has given a guarantee that if these are not in place we will not be part of the mission until that is done. That is a real problem, although I note the Minister of State said it was part of the normal planning process and that at this stage it is not unusual. Perhaps the Minister of State will discuss what measures are being taken by the Government to ensure that these facilities will be in place, as well as providing an update from his European colleagues who have been approached by the Government to provide somewhat more than they are currently providing. In that way the Army will have the necessary facilities.

This is clearly a dangerous mission. The Army has been in Liberia and other dangerous locations. It is professional, well equipped and able to conduct such missions efficiently. However, this is a medium-risk mission and therefore more dangerous than other ones in which the army has previously been involved. Even though Europe is taking an increasing role in peacekeeping, we should be proud that Ireland wants to take part in this mission in Africa. It complements our foreign policy, including the kind of work undertaken not just by the Government but also voluntary work by individual Irish citizens in Africa. This military mission will complement the kind of contribution that Irish citizens and Government agencies can make to Africa's development.

I ask the Minister of State to revert to two points I raised, namely, the logistical difficulties of the mission and European support for it. Given that the armies of many European countries are currently involved in Afghanistan and Kosovo they are not making a contribution to the Chad mission, but the needs are enormous. The figures for displaced persons are horrifying, as is the scale of the overall problem. I also ask the Minister of State to note the concerns raised by Senator Paddy Burke and myself about the logistical issues.