Written answers

Wednesday, 24 May 2006

Department of Foreign Affairs

Overseas Missions

9:00 pm

Photo of Billy TimminsBilly Timmins (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context

Question 168: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has received a request for Irish troops to participate in a UN mission to Darfur in the Sudan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19447/06]

Photo of Dermot AhernDermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
Link to this: Individually | In context

As the Deputy may be aware, on 16 May the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1679, which paves the way for a UN force in Darfur and for the transition of the present UN-authorised African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) to UN command. Three Irish military officers are currently serving with the EU support team to AMIS.

The UN Secretary-General has stated that he intends to dispatch, as quickly as possible, a joint UN/AU Technical Assessment Team to Darfur, and is in consultation with the Government of National Unity of Sudan towards that end. While the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations cannot finalise its plans until the Technical Assessment Team reports back, it has been engaged for some time in planning and identifying the military capabilities that may be required, and has commenced consultations with member states, including Ireland, to accelerate the sourcing of these capabilities. A request for Irish participation has not yet, however, been received.

If a request were received from the UN, it would be considered in the first instance by my colleague the Minister for Defence, who would make a recommendation to the Government, taking account, inter alia, of the numbers of Permanent Defence Force personnel available for overseas service at that time. There are currently 765 troops serving overseas, of which 733 are serving in UN-led or UN-authorised missions, out of a total of 850 maintained under the UN Standby Arrangements System (UNSAS). The remainder are serving in representational and staff posts, and in monitoring missions.

Members of the Permanent Defence Force are currently serving overseas in seven UN missions, in Liberia (current total 422), Côte d'Ivoire, Western Sahara, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lebanon, and the Middle East, as well as in multi-national forces authorized by the Security Council in Kosovo (213), Bosnia and Herzegovina (60) and Afghanistan (7).

As indicated by the Minister for Defence in a speech on 4 May, the UN Secretary-General has written to the Taoiseach requesting that Ireland consider postponing the withdrawal of its troops from the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) for a period of at least six months beyond the planned withdrawal date of November 2006, because of the importance of the Quick Reaction Force (QRF) of which our troops form the chief component, and of the difficulty of finding a suitable replacement.

The request from Secretary-General Annan received the most serious consideration and I can confirm that the Taoiseach has replied indicating that the Government will give positive consideration to extending the presence of our troops in Liberia to May 2007. In his reply, the Taoiseach also assured the Secretary-General that Ireland remains committed to Peace Support Operations under a UN flag, including in Africa.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.