Vol. 424 No. 5
20 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Defence the investigation, if any, which has been held into the circumstances of the killing and the wounding of Defence Forces personnel (details supplied) in the Lebanon; the steps, if any, which have been taken to bring those responsible to justice; if any review of security procedures has been carried out in the light of the attack; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
I refer the Deputy to my statement in the House on 7 October 1992.
Investigations into the incident are continuing at United Nations and Irish contingent levels. The Minister of State at my Department, Deputy Dempsey, conveyed the grave concern of the Government to the Lebanese authorities in Beirut on 1 October 1992. In particular, the Minister of State asked that the Lebanese Government use their authority and influence to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
Ireland's permanent representative to the United Nations in New York raised the issue with his Lebanese counterpart on 9 October 1992. The Lebanese permanent representative cabled the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister of Lebanon advising and urging that measures should be taken immediately in relation to the people directly involved.
Security procedures in respect of all military personnel serving with UNIFIL are under constant review and changes are made when considered necessary. 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. In addition, physical security in the form of equipment and engineer works at posts and checkpoints is steadily being improved.
The Irish Government continue to avail of every opportunity at the United Nations and in meetings at diplomatic level to press for the implementation of the necessary measures to enable UNIFIL to carry out its mandate effectively.
I thank the Minister for his reply. I wish to convey my sympathy to the Defence Forces, the family of the man who was killed and the family of the man who was injured in that incident. Will the Minister agree that the likelihood of the new Lebanese Government taking action in relation to the pro-Iranian Hezbollah, who were responsible for this attack, is unlikely until the Israeli Government agree to withdraw from southern Lebanon and cease their support for the so-called South Lebanese Army? Will he also agree that it is at that level we should exert most of our political pressure — bilaterally in relation to Israel and at United Nations level?
I would find it a matter of some delicacy to comment on what the Lebanese Government might do in the circumstances. I know that the Chief of Staff of the Lebanese Army, who is a very impressive man, is intent on spreading the authority of the Government and his army to areas where they do not have such authority now. He is recruiting into his army a mix of Muslims and Christians so that his army will not split, as the Lebanese Army did in the past. With regard to the Deputy's second question, we should leave the matter to the Arab-Israeli negotiations going on at present and not intrude upon them. The negotiating process has had its ups and downs, but I hope that out of it will come a general peace in the Middle East which will settle the south Lebanon-Israeli border conflict.
Will the Minister agree that for the last 12 or 14 years the South Lebanese Army have been the cause of most of the violence in south Lebanon and have been, directly or indirectly, responsible for most of the deaths of Irish troops in the area? Will he also agree that the latest incident, the subject of this question, was possibly the result of a failure of communications and identification on the part of the United Nations forces in the area? The party of men who were intent on bombing and shooting at the South Lebanese Army on their retreat did not identify the post as a United Nations one nor did they identify the people who stopped them as being United Nations troops.
No, that is not true.
There was a report to that effect in one newspaper.
After the attack reinforcements were called in. Corporal Ward arrived in an armoured personnel carrier as a reinforcement. He was killed on his arrival and a private was injured, the man who recovered.
I am talking about events prior to that.
There was no question this time — although there was in the last major incident — of identification.
There was a report to that effect in a newspaper.
It is not true.
I will hear two final, brief questions, one from Deputy Gerry O'Sullivan and one from Deputy Farrelly.
The Minister will be aware of the policy of the Minister for the Marine that where there has been a death the result of the investigation will be published. Will the Minister indicate whether this investigation will be published in the press or made available to the relatives?
As the Deputy will have gathered from my reply, there is a United Nations investigation and they will make their own decisions. There is also an investigation by the Irish Army authorities in conjunction with the United Nations, because they are under United Nations command. At this stage I cannot say whether there will be a general publication of either of the two reports.
When does the Minister expect the result of the investigation? Incidents like this have taken place previously and the result of the investigations have been made available. Unfortunately, there have been further incidents. I know that the Minister of State was on the scene. What assurances did he get in regard to this incident? Did he impress on them how seriously we regard it? I should like to be associated with Deputy De Rossa's remarks in relation to the families concerned.
I should like to express my appreciation of the remarks of Deputies De Rossa and Farrelly with regard to this very fine member of our Defence Forces who was killed. It is very difficult to know when an inquiry will end, particularly when the people involved do not owe allegiance to any Government. We tend to deal Government to Government in these matters and it was for that purpose that the Minister of State, Deputy Dempsey, went to Beirut to emphasise how seriously our Government took this matter. As I mentioned, we indicated very strongly, through diplomatic channels, through representation to the United Nations and in other ways, that we take a very serious view of the loss of a soldier of the Irish Army who was there on a peacekeeping mission, probably the most important mission in which any soldier could be engaged at present.
