Déirdre de Búrca (Green Party)

I welcome the Minister of State to the House and I am glad of the opportunity to discuss this EU mission to Chad. The mission has a UN mandate and is being conducted within the framework of the European Security and Defence Policy. UN Security Council resolution 1778, which established the mission, gives it a robust peace-enforcement mandate. We are a small country with a proud tradition of peace-keeping but given the expansion of the Petersberg Tasks under the forthcoming reform treaty and the mandate for peace-enforcement missions, we must accept that Irish troops will be participating in increasingly dangerous missions. It is important that both Houses of the Oireachtas should monitor these missions closely and be aware of what is involved. The public must also be kept informed of the often perilous missions in which the Defence Forces are involved.

The situation in Chad is both difficult and unsatisfactory. Other Senators have mentioned the number of refugees and displaced persons, which is put at over 400,000. In October, a peace deal was signed between the Government and four of the rebel groups but it has already broken down. There have been a number of gun battles between Government and rebel forces in which hundreds of rebels were reportedly killed. The operation's Irish commander, Major General Patrick Nash, has said that the troops under his command will be strictly neutral in terms of ongoing conflicts in the region. Nonetheless, is the Minister of State concerned by the fact that half the EU troops in the mission will be French? France is a former colonial power and French military contingents have been based in Chad and the Central African Republic over the past two years as part of bilateral treaties. They have been helping Government forces to beat back rebel offensives during that period, so will that pose a difficulty for Major General Nash in maintaining the mission's neutral identity?

In common with other Senators, I am concerned about the apparent gaps and logistical problems, particularly with regard to transport resources. As has been said, there appears to be a shortage of heavy airlift and helicopter facilities, which will be essential in eastern Chad where Irish troops will be operating. The region's road infrastructure is extremely poor and therefore helicopters will be essential to support troop movements. There are also serious deficiencies in medical support and perhaps the Minister of State could comment on that matter in his reply.

The intention is that Irish troops will be deployed from December onwards and will form part of what is known as an initial entry force to facilitate the arrival of follow-on troops. However, is the Minister of State concerned that the location chosen as a base camp for Irish troops will be in the environs of Abesh, which is the main town in eastern Chad? Last month, members of the French charity Zoe's Ark were caught there attempting illegally to transport 103 African children to Europe. That incident caused much concern and resistance locally. I wonder if there will be any fall-out for Irish troops in having their base camp there, as feelings were running high over the attempted transportation of those children.

We have great confidence in the Defence Forces and wish them all the best in this dangerous mission to Chad. I look forward to debating the issue again at a subsequent date.