Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael)
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Question 116: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the further progress that has been made at the UN to ensure that Irish peacekeepers are in a position to continue to operate in Chad if and when it changes from an EU to a UN mission; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38509/08]

Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 136: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs the most recent estimation of the Irish Government on the present position in Darfur; and if he will make a statement on Irish peacekeeping in Chad. [38392/08]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 136 together.

In resolution 1834 the United Nations Security Council expressed its intention to authorise the deployment of a UN military component to follow up EUFOR Chad/CAR in both Chad and the Central African Republic. This resolution also requested that the UN Secretary-General, in close cooperation with the European Union, continue planning and initiate the force generation and logistical, administrative, financial and other necessary arrangements with a view to a transfer of authority between EUFOR and the UN military component, subject to a new decision of the Security Council, on 15 March 2009.

Active preparations have commenced. Joint planning between the relevant staffs of the European Union and the United Nations is already underway and a technical team of EUFOR experts has visited New York. The UN Secretary-General is due to submit to the Security Council by 15th November a progress report on ongoing planning and preparations for this follow-on force, including options on the size, structure and mandate of the proposed UN military presence.

The Government is positively disposed, in principle, to Irish participation in a UN follow-on force. However, a formal decision to participate will need to await the outcome of ongoing discussions on the size, composition and mandate of the follow-on operation. Such participation will, of course, be subject to the "Triple Lock" of UN mandate and Government and Dáil approval.

The ongoing suffering of the people of Darfur is a matter of deep concern. The fracturing of the main rebel groups over the past year, and the apparent determination of the Government of Sudan to pursue a military solution, at a high price in terms of ongoing suffering for ordinary people, makes the search for peace even more difficult. The appointment of Djibril Bassolé as joint AU-UN chief mediator in June 2008 is a positive step, and I am hopeful that his committed efforts to bring the two sides together will be successful. To date, however, the process has been disappointingly slow, and a lack of political will is apparent on all sides. Despite these discouraging developments, there is no alternative to a political solution.

I strongly condemn the serious human rights abuses against civilians, particularly women and children, which have been a constant feature of the Darfur conflict. In this regard Ireland fully supports the crucial role being played by the ICC in the promotion of international justice, and deeply regrets the lack of co-operation on the part of the Sudanese government with the ICC to date. While the situation in Darfur is very complex there is a need to ensure that serious crimes, such as those which have been committed in Darfur, do not go unpunished.

In Darfur, ongoing conflict, including targeted attacks against aid workers and their assets, continues to constitute a major obstacle to humanitarian operations. Since 2006, the Government has committed over €48 million in assistance to the people of Sudan, including Darfur.