asked the Minister for Defence if he has satisfied himself with the safety of the Irish contingent of military personnel in Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
17.
Ceisteanna — Questions. Oral Answers. - Military Personnel in Lebanon.
13.
asked the Minister for Defence the circumstances in which an Irish soldier was wounded in Lebanon on Sunday, 31 May, 1987, and two others kidnapped; if he has satisfied himself that defensive procedure for our troops with UNIFIL are adequate; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 13 and 17 together. It is assumed that Question No. 17 refers to two separate incidents involving personnel of the Irish contingent serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) which occurred on 30 May 1987.
The wounding of an Irish soldier on 30 May 1987 occurred when a civilian refused to permit a search of his vehicle at a checkpoint manned by Irish troops and made attempts to drive his vehicle at a member of the checkpoint party. A number of warning shots were fired by the checkpoint personnel, one of which, it is understood, ricocheted and slightly injured the soldier in question. The soldier who was discharged from hospital on 1 June 1987, is now back on duty.
On the same day, two Irish personnel travelling in a jeep were stopped and surrounded by five armed men. The soldiers were disarmed and obliged to drive to another location. They were released after a short period and they returned unharmed to Irish Battalion Headquarters.
The safety of Irish personnel serving with UNIFIL is kept under constant review. Troops selected for overseas service undergo a rigorous programme of training designed to help them carry out their peacekeeping mission and to provide for their protection. They are issued with a modern range of weapons and equipment and operational procedures are geared to provide maximum safety for our troops consistent with the carrying out of their mission. I am satisfied that the procedures and equipment supplied provide very adequately for the protection of our personnel.
Would the Minister agree that the service being given by Irish troops with UNIFIL forces is a matter of great pride to this country, particularly that given by Lieutenant General Bill O'Callaghan who retired yesterday, a man of whom all Members of this House should be proud?
I agree with Deputy Barry that our troops abroad have given tremendous service and are a credit to our country. I was very happy to be able to meet Bill O'Callaghan at Dublin Airport on his arrival home. He has contributed in no small way to this country.
I saw newspaper reports recently and in one report the retiring senior officer of whom Deputy Barry spoke stated there were indications of increased friction between various rival factions in South Lebanon which area the Irish UN forces were helping to police. I also saw a recent report in a newspaper that the £2.5 million cutback by the Government has hit the programme to supply the Army with heavy machine guns. The guns were originally ordered after Irish UN forces serving in Lebanon came under fire from similar weapons used by the Christian Militia and it was found that the standard machine gun was out-ranged. This is a very serious matter that our Army are not properly equipped overseas. This is very dangerous.
The Deputy appreciates we must proceed by way of question.
I am not sure where the Deputy got that information. As I have already stated, the safety of Irish troops is kept under constant review. Troops selected for overseas service undergo a very rigorous programme of training designed to help them to carry out their peacekeeping mission and to provide for their protection. In addition, the troops are issued with a modern range of weapons and equipment. The training, weapons and equipment provide very adequately for the protection of our personnel. In addition, physical security in the form of equipment and engineer works at posts and checkpoints is steadily being improved. However, military service with UNIFIL at any time obviously carries an inherent risk.
I accept the Minister is satisfied with arrangements as they are but given the high incidence of injury and loss of life by our soldiers in Lebanon, can he indicate whether the Minister for Defence, on his return from Lebanon and after his discussions and negotiations with members of the Israeli armed forces in particular, will make a statement to the House on what progress, if any, he has made in curtailing in particular the activities of the Israeli armed forces——
Clearly the Deputy is enlarging the scope of this question.
As you can see from my question, a Cheann Comhairle, the defensive procedures for our troops is very unsatisfactory and integral to that is the attitude of certain parties, in particular the Israeli Defence Forces, who have been directly responsible for loss of life——
The Deputy has made his point.
Will the Minister on his return report back to the House on the deliberations?
I am quite sure the Minister for Defence on his return, if given an opportunity, will be very pleased and delighted to make a statement to the House on his visit. The Minister indicated before leaving that the purpose of his visit was to show solidarity with the Irish troops in their efforts to carry out their mandate. He is particularly concerned to ensure the safety of the troops and is satisfied that the necessary precautions and military operational procedures are being undertaken to provide maximum safety and security for Irish personnel.
One of the meetings the Minister will undertake will be with Lieutenant-General Sharon of the Israeli defence forces. It would be significant if we had time in this House to discuss the conclusions of those deliberations and whether assurances were secured that the attitude of the Israeli defence forces towards UNIFIL troops, including Irish troops, will be amended and changed in the future.