asked the Minister for Defence in relation to the request for a commemorative medal to be struck to honour the Niemba deceased, if he will outline the present position, further to his letter to Deputy Michael Keating of 30 March 1988, dealing with a proposal that a memorial be erected.
Written Answers. - Commemorative Medal.
12.
Limerick West): In relation to the request for a commemorative medal to be struck to honour the Niemba deceased it is felt that this might be construed as suggesting that the ultimate sacrifice made by the men of the Defence Forces on UN service in other arenas, such as Elizabethville, South Lebanon, was in some way less than that of the Niemba victims.
The Defence Forces and the State honour and will continue to honour the memory and indeed recognise the sacrifice of the men who died in the service of peace at Niemba or in any other theatre of United Nations operations.
Accordingly, it is considered that it would not be appropriate for a commemorative medal to be struck to honour the Niemba deceased.