Vol. 388 No. 9
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, following the deaths of three Irish soldiers in Lebanon last month, he called on the Israeli Ambassador to inform him of the Government's concern about the involvement of the SLA, which are supplied with arms by the Israeli Government, in the deaths of these three soldiers.
24.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps which have been taken to protest to the Israeli government regarding the tragic death of a member of the Defence Forces on United Nations service; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
31.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in view of the most recent tragedies in the Lebanon, if he has any plans to review the mandate of the Irish troops serving there.
32.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if, following the recent killing of an Irish serviceman while on a peace-keeping mission in Lebanon, he has engaged in discussions with United Nations members states on the question of greater protection for soldiers on peace-keeping duties; and if he is aware of any pressure being brought to bear on the Israeli Government by the United Nations as a result of their support for the militia who were responsible for the death of the Irish soldier.
35.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if any decision has been taken regarding the sending of further troops to Lebanon when the tour of duty of the present contingent ends.
36.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the investigations which have been held into the killing of Private Michael McNeela in Lebanon on 25 February 1989; the steps which have been taken to have the persons responsible brought to justice; if any measures are being taken to improve the security of Irish troops with UNIFIL in the light of this and other attacks; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
51.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the protests which have been made following the recent deaths of our soldiers in Lebanon; to whom such protests have been made; and the form such protests have taken.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 11, 24, 31, 32, 35, 36 and 51 together.
I should like to convey to the families of Corporal Heneghan, Private Walsh, Armstrong and McNeela my condolences on behalf of the Government and, I feel sure, of every Member of the House on the tragic deaths of these courageous soldiers who died in the cause of peace while serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. Private McNeela was killed at UNIFIL Post 6-38A in South Lebanon on the morning of 24 February by a round of heavy machine-gun fire from the Haddathah Compound which is manned by the so-called "South Lebanon Army". According to UNIFIL, there was no armed activity in the area at the time.
Immediate steps were taken to have the Israeli Chargé D'Affaires summoned to the Department of Foreign Affairs to convey to his authorities our strong protest. The grave concern of the Government at the killing of Private McNeela at a time when there was no armed activity in the area was conveyed in the strongest possible terms. It was made clear that, as the so-called "South Lebanon Army" was armed, financed and trained by Israel, this incident was bound to have a negative effect on IsraeliIrish relations. It was also pointed out that these incidents of firing close were totally unacceptable and contrary to the Security Council's request to all parties to co-operate with UNIFIL. The Israeli Chargé D'Affaires undertook to convey our protest to his authorities.
Our serious concern was shared by the United Nations. The Under Secretary General of the United Nations, on behalf of the Secretary General, called in the Israeli Chargé D'Affaires in New York on the same day to lodge a vigorous protest about the unprovoked killing of Private McNeela. In addition, UNIFIL headquarters protested to the authorities in Israel.
The United Nations has undertaken a full investigation into this killing, the results of which are not yet available.
The Department of Foreign Affairs have been informed by the Israelis that as a result of an investigation carried out by the so-called "South Lebanon Army" a member of that force has been detained and that the unit at Haddathah Compound has been removed from there and dispersed to other units of that force.
On 21 March, Corporal Heneghan, Private Walsh and Private Armstrong were killed when the truck in which they were travelling hit a mine near Brashit in South Lebanon. The Government are deeply concerned and are determined that everything possible will be done to minimise future risks for members of UNIFIL. The United Nations share this concern and this determination.
The Minister for Defence arranged for the Chief of Staff to visit Lebanon immediately to assess the situation there and to liaise with the United Nations authorities in their investigations. The detailed investigation which they are conducting is not yet complete and so far it has not been possible to establish who was responsible for placing the explosive device or against whom it was directed.
As the Minister for Defence has already informed the Dáil, in the course of his visit the Chief of Staff met UN Under Secretary-General Marrack Goulding, UNIFIL Force Commander Lt. General Wahlgren, Irish battalion personnel and local leaders. Security in the Irish area of operations was examined and a number of measures to enhance the safety of Irish personnel were agreed, including the provision of specialists in mine discoveries and bomb disposal, certain engineering works and the closure of a high risk post.
The mandate under which UNIFIL operates is determined by the Security Council and is reviewed by them every six months. The mandate comes up for renewal again at the end of July. The Government have recently decided to rotate the Irish contingent with UNIFIL and will keep under continuous review our position with regard to the Force in the light of the developing situation on the ground, particularly with regard to the security of our contingent, and in close consultations with UN Headquarters and with other troop contributors.
I thank the Taoiseach for that very comprehensive reply, with which I fully agree. I want to make three points. The Taoiseach referred to the Chief of Staff's conducting an investigation on the instruction of the Minister for Defence. I asked the Minister for Defence last week if that report would be published so that we in this House could come to a more authoritative view as to precisely what happened. The Minister did not reply to that question last week and I repeat it now to the Taoiseach. Will the report of the investigation conducted by the Chief of Staff be published? I do not wish the Taoiseach to reply now because I understand that he will have to consider the implications, but I would be grateful to get a reply sometime.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs called in the Chargé D'Affaires in Dublin. He is not the official representatve of the Israeli Government. The official representative is the ambassador in London. He should have been summoned here and told, in no uncertain terms, that we consider the Israeli Government, by extension because of their funding, financing and organising of the South Lebanese army, to be responsible for the deaths of Irish soldiers, and that they cannot continue to look for a resident ambassador here or to have friendly relations with the Irish people if that continues. That should be done by the Minister for Foreign Affairs in a formal and serious way without further delay and not by an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs through the Chargé d'Affaires; it must come from the Minister himself to the ambassador.
Let me remind the House at this stage that I must conclude Priority Questions within the prescribed time, if at all possible, and it is fast coming to a close.
I take the point. The matter would naturally arise at two different levels. One would be the immediate necessity to convey our protest, and that was done to the Chargé d'Affaires. On the broader issue of relations, the establishment of embassies and matters of that kind, the Deputy's suggestion is a good one.
To call the ambassador and tell him?
Yes, on the broader issue.
