Vol. 468 No. 2
2 Mr. R. Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the recent calls at the Western European Union Assembly for the Western European Union to examine the role of nuclear weapons in Europe's security; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14743/96]
As this House will be aware, the Western European Union Assembly is a consultative body made up of parliamentarians from the ten Western European Union member states. Parliamentarians from Western European Union observer states, Western European Union Associate member and Associate partner states also attend in accordance with their respective statuses but do not participate in the adoption of recommendations by the assembly. In accordance with Ireland's observer status in the Western European Union, Ireland was represented in an observer capacity by Members of this House at the recent regular session of the Western European Union Assembly in Paris from 3 to 6 June.
I am aware of the assembly's position on the issues referred to by the Deputy. As I have made clear in this House in the past, the views of the Western European Union Assembly are not binding on the member states of the Western European Union. They bind no one but the assembly itself.
Ireland's commitment to nuclear disarmament is well known and is set out in detail in the White Paper on Foreign Policy.
The Minister will have noted that the Western European Union Assembly called on the Western European Union Council to engage in a debate on European defence consolidated, possibly, by concerted deterrents, by establishing initially a strategic study group to examine the role of nuclear weapons in Europe's security and the role all Western European Union member states might play in defining a future European nuclear strategy. In the context of the Intergovernmental Conference, will the Minister assure the House that there is no question of Ireland supporting a proposal to amalgamate the Western European Union and the EU?
I do not think that any of my actions have been different from the actions of Fianna Fáil Ministers for Foreign Affairs in relation to our participation as an observer at the Western European Union. This was agreed to by a Fianna Fáil Government. Our delegates at the Western European Union Assembly are Deputies Frank Crowley of Fine Gael and Noel Davern of Fianna Fáil. The substitutes are Deputies John Mulvihill of the Labour Party and Michael Kitt of Fianna Fáil.
On the question of the Intergovernmental Conference, the Deputy is well aware that we will enter the next phase of the negotiations during our Presidency of the European Union. Our position on these matters is well known. As I have said on numerous occasions in the House, there are widely divergent views on the development of EU-WEU relations, ranging from total amalgamation or integration of the Western European Union into the EU, the development of the relationship over a period of time and the need to keep them totally distinct, as at present. We set out our views on this debate in the White Paper and we will continue to maintain this position in the negotiations.
