Vol. 192 No. 2
asked the Minister for External Affairs if he will make a statement on the events which have taken place in the Congo since the adjournment of Dáil Éireann at the beginning of August, outlining the present position there, particularly in regard to the Irish troops at present serving with the UN forces.
44.
andMr. McQuillan asked the Minister for External Affairs whether it is proposed to send any further contingents of the Defence Forces to the Congo; if so, when; and whether in the light of the existing situation in the Congo he will, before such contingents are dispatched, give the Dáil an opportunity of discussing the propriety of such a step.
I propose taking Questions Nos. 43 and 44 together.
From the point of view of the ultimate success of the United Nations mission in the Congo the two outstanding events since the 1st August were, firstly, the re-establishment of the Central Government with the participation of the two break-away Provinces of Orientale and Kasai; secondly, the address by Mr. Tshombe on the 28th August in which he said "In implementation of the Security Council's resolutions of 21 February 1961, the United Nations is at present engaged in withdrawing military personnel of foreign nationality serving in the Katanga gendarmerie. The government bows to the decisions of the United Nations.”
A detailed account of the events which took place since 1st August will be found in the "Report of the Officer-in-charge of the U.N. operation in Congo and the addenda thereto" which I have placed in the Oireachtas Library.
In reply to Deputy Corish's request for an outline of the present position, I may say it appears to be more hopeful than at any time in the last sixteen months. It now appears likely that the Congolese leaders are convinced of the necessity of negotiating a peaceful solution to the problems of unity and co-operation. The foreign support which was behind the Orientale and Kasai Provinces in declaring their independence of the Central Government seems to have been practically eliminated. The foreign mercenaries which were the principal support of the Katanga break-away seem likely to leave before long, as many of the influences which supported their interference in Congolese affairs now see that the only hope of democratic government and peaceful progress in the Congo is reconciliation and unity.
In view of the lack of administrative experience and of internal antagonisms, I have no doubt there will be setbacks on the road to peace and unity even in the absence of the foreign influences which hitherto supported disunity. Having regard, however, to what has already been achieved, I am more than ever convinced, despite all the difficulties which still confront the Congolese people, that if the United Nations efforts to eliminate foreign intervention are firmly supported by the States who wish to seek peace, order and democratic government, unity and co-operation can be obtained through the peaceful reconciliation of all sections of the Congolese leaders. To help create the conditions for this reconciliation has always been the sole aim of the United Nations, and its representatives are at present endeavouring to bring about a meeting between Premier Adoula and Mr. Tshombe and are hopeful of success.
As the Dáil has discussed and approved the sending of military contingents to the Congo, I see no reason for another discussion before the departure of the contingents which are going to replace those who are due to return in the next few weeks.
We can all reiterate what the Minister has said about the universal desire to see peace and order in the Congo. However, the Minister will appreciate the concern of the people of this country for the Irish soldiers out there, especially their concern at the events that took place there at the beginning of September. I am sure the Minister himself would be the first to admit that only very sketchy information trickled into this country in regard to the welfare of the Irish soldiers. It was for that reason that I asked him in the second part of my Question to make a statement with particular reference to the Irish troops at present serving in the Congo.
They are coming home next week.
I do not think that is good enough. We would all be glad to see the majority of them home. What we are concerned about are the events in the first weeks of September, why there was such a trickle of information at that period and why it was necessary for the Minister to travel 6,000 or 7,000 miles to find out what was happening, especially in view of the fact that it was suggested from these Benches on one occasion to the Minister that there should be a liaison officer between the troops in the Congo and the Government to keep them abreast of the information available. We did not seem to have that.
The fact of the matter is that the Irish people were kept fully informed of what was happening to the Irish troops so far as casualties and so on were concerned, but they were being bombarded by a vicious propaganda which tried to make out they were all slaughtered. The people were being told that 67 were supposed to have been slaughtered in Jadotville. We told the Irish people that only five had been wounded, but this propaganda was repeated day after day and many people said there could not be all this smoke without a great deal of fire.
As to the details of the events in the Congo, I refer the Deputy and the other Deputies to the reports of the UN Special Representative in the Congo, which are in the Library.
I do not think the Minister intends to suggest, or that anyone accepts, that the type of propaganda which he speaks about was engaged in by Irish newspapers, but they did report, maybe in vague terms, heavy casualties in the Congo. If my memory serves me correctly, there was also some announcement by Radio Eireann to the effect that there had been heavy casualties.
Arising out of the Minister's reply and before emphasising the aspect of his reply dealing with approving the sending of military contingents to the Congo—I appreciate that the Government have provided as much information as it was possible for them to provide and I do not propose to deal with that now—I want to ask the Minister this question, arising out of the general matter that has been raised: can he reassure this House that, in the heel of the hunt, we shall not be faced with the situation that a representative of the Cominform, in the person of Mr. Gizenga, has taken over with our help and will then be vested with authority to slit the throat of anyone who is not prepared to carry the hammer and sickle on his standard?
The fact of the matter is that there was a particular situation in Orientale, of which Stanleyville is the capital, where Mr. Gizenga was the local Prime Minister. He associated himself with Kasai, another breakaway province. However, both joined in the setting up of the Central Government. As I understand it, he has since gone back to Stanleyville instead of taking over Leopoldville. I hope that is only temporary and that he and all the other break-away provinces will co-operate in the establishment of a government of unity in the Congo. That would be the greatest success for democracy and peace that could be won.
Can the Minister say what is the present position of Katanga vis-à-vis the Central Congolese Government?
They are trying to get the two together.
May I ask the Minister, in view of the fact that this House gave authority to the Government to send contingents abroad for peace action in the Congo, and that since then the situation is that our Irish troops have been used for offensive purposes, will the Taoiseach——
No.
——or the Minister now give an opportunity to this House to discuss the desirability or otherwise of sending out fresh contingents, in view of the recent action of the United Nations in the Congo?
I do not accept the premises for the Deputy's question. I think the House has discussed this matter of sending Irish troops to the Congo. Replacements are simply going out for the troops coming home.
Is it not a fact that the Minister gave a guarantee to this House that before a decision was made to send any substantial number, the House would be consulted? Is it not a fact that the Minister has, for reasons of his own, decided to send a further battalion of Irish troops who will now be involved in a war in the Congo, against a direction given in this House?
The Deputy is——
Question No. 45.
May I ask the Minister is it or is it not a fact that the direction of the United Nations now is that, if necessary, it should reunite the Congo by force?
That is not true.
Is it not a fact that Irish troops were used recently in Katanga for the purpose of reuniting Katanga by force? Is that not correct?
No, it is not correct.
Of course it is. The Minister is trying to mislead the House.
Arising out of the Minister's reply——
I cannot allow this discussion to go on indefinitely. There are 277 questions on the Order Paper.
You can be a sore thumb about Katanga and partition, but you do not raise the question of our own Partition in the United Nations where you should. You are able to settle the problems of every country in the world except your own. Let us look after our own back garden first.
