I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the despatch, pursuant to section 2 of the Defence (Amendment) (No.2) Act, 1960, as applied by the Defence (Amendment) Act, 1993, of a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force for service outside the State to participate in the temporary multinational force established for humanitarian purposes in regard to the situation in Eastern Zaire by United Nations Security Council Resolution Number 1080 of 15th November, 1996.
In commending this motion to the House I will outline why the Government decided to respond positively to the invitation from the United Nations to participate in the multinational force. I know the House has been following the crisis in eastern Zaire with deep concern, as demonstrated by the debate on the matter here last Wednesday. As the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs said in that debate, we cannot doubt the continuing serious nature of the position in eastern Zaire and the Great Lakes region generally. While the voluntary return to Rwanda of up to 600,000 refugees in recent weeks has been a positive development, enormous problems remain to be addressed. The challenge for the Rwandan Government and society of absorbing returnees on the current scale is truly daunting. The plight of large numbers of refugees and displaced people in eastern Zaire remains a major source of concern to the international community. As Members are aware, Tanzania has also been carrying a heavy burden in hosting up to 500,000 refugees and has received thousands more in recent weeks. Meanwhile the position in Burundi continues to give rise to concern.
Primacy in the response of the international community to the crisis in eastern Zaire rests with the United Nations. The House will be aware that a number of Security Council resolutions on the matter have been introduced, the most recent of which, Resolution 1080 of 15 November, sanctioned the "establishment for humanitarian purposes of a temporary multinational force to facilitate the immediate return of humanitarian organisations and the effective delivery by civilian relief organisations of humanitarian aid to alleviate the immediate suffering of displaced persons, refugees and civilians at risk in eastern Zaire, and to facilitate the voluntary, orderly repatriation of refugees by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees as well as the voluntary return of displaced persons". The House will be aware that Canada has agreed to take the lead in putting together the multinational force. It is this force to which the motion before the House refers.
The Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs briefed the House last week on the efforts of the EU, under the Irish Presidency, to support the efforts of the UN in the provision of humanitarian assistance to those in need. In addition to humanitarian assistance, the Union has also recognised that there are fundamental political issues at the core of the problem and that a humanitarian response alone will not be sufficient to bring about a lasting solution. Those are the twin realities that need to be addressed in the search for such a lasting solution.
At political level, efforts are continuing to broker a dialogue between Zaire and Rwanda. The Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General, Ambassador Chretien, and the EU Special Envoy, Mr. Ajello, among others, are playing important roles in this regard. It remains the strong view of the European Union that the complex problems at issue can be resolved only by dialogue. In regard to the longer term perspective, it is essential that a comprehensive approach is developed to address the many problems involved. In 1994 a humanitarian solution alone was not enough and I believe that lesson has been well learnt. There is a strong dynamic now in favour of a broader approach and the current crisis provides a new context within which that dynamic can be given expression. That is why the European Union supports the concept of the international conference on peace, security and development under the aegis of the UN and the OAU. We believe the process begun by the Heads of State of the region in regard to Burundi, with Julius Nyerere in the role of mediator, could serve as a bridge into such a conference. The holding of such a conference will be one of the priorities of the EU in the period ahead.
While acknowledging the need for longer-term political solutions, our immediate concern in regard to this motion is the pressing humanitarian position on the ground in the Great Lakes region. The Secretary General of the United Nations reported to the Security Council last Friday on the position as he assessed it at that time. His report is valuable as an authoritative update on the overall state of play and I will arrange to have it placed in the Dáil Library. I will outline some of the key points contained in that report, as it has an important bearing on the scale of the humanitarian problem which a multinational force would be required to address. Since 15 November 1996 an estimated 500,000 Rwandans have returned to Rwanda from camps in eastern Zaire. According to earlier estimates of the UNHCR, more than 700,000 refugees remained in eastern Zaire, but more recent estimates put the number between 300,000 and 700,000. Reports indicate that there are groups of people in several large new concentrations, including at locations south of Uvira, south west of Bukavu, north west of Bukavu, between Bukavu and Goma and north west of Goma. While it is assumed the majority of those persons are from the refugee camps, there are likely to be displaced Zaireans among them and significant numbers of displaced Zaireans elsewhere. Thus far 36,000 Burundian refugees have returned to their country from the Uvira region of Zaire. There have been considerable new influxes from eastern Zaire into Uganda, the United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia. They include mostly Zairean nationals but also Rwandan and Burundian refugees. The United Republic of Tanzania continues to host 535,000 Rwandan refugees and has faced an additional influx of 49,000 refugees from Burundi since 1 November.
That is the broad background against which the decision to establish a multinational force to assist in the humanitarian effort must be assessed. As the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs indicated in the House last week, the Government has already made a decision in principle, subject to the approval of the House, that Ireland should participate in the multinational force called for under UN Resolution 1080. Together with the other countries concerned, we have engaged in discussions with the lead country, Canada, to assess the precise needs of the humanitarian situation and the type of deployment that will be required from Ireland.
Members will be aware that since the passing of Resolution 1080 on 15 November, the context in which the force was to be established was greatly altered by the massive voluntary return of refugees to Rwanda from Zaire. Accordingly, intensive consultations have been taking place between the countries proposing to contribute troops to evaluate the role of such a force in the new circumstances. Members will also be aware that questions have been raised about the need for the force in view of the new circumstances. Others, however, argue that since hundreds of thousands remain unaccounted for in eastern Zaire, the need for the force is as great as ever.
The Government's position throughout this debate has been one of prudence, allied to the need for an urgent response to the humanitarian position. It would be unreal not to acknowledge that the massive return of refugees has considerably altered the context of the proposed mission. However, there are enough authoritative voices indicating that serious problems remain for large numbers of people in Zaire. Fighting continues on the ground in the Kivu region. Humanitarian agencies, including Irish NGOs, have reported gunfire during operations by them into eastern Zaire to assist refugees. It is undesirable that aid workers should have to operate unprotected in such conditions of danger and uncertainty.
The report of the UN Secretary General to the Security Council, dated 29 November, states:
Humanitarian agencies are currently permitted only a very limited access to the areas of displacement in eastern Zaire. This denies them a basis for detailed programming. Nor, given the security situation in the area, can any detailed assessments be undertaken at this time. At the same time, the plight of the affected population does not permit further delay in the mobilisation of funds and the deployment of assistance. This must be provided through the most suitable expeditious routes of access. The great majority of the humanitarian agencies believe that these conditions can be fulfilled only if the multinational force is deployed in a way that will ensure them the access they need and provide the necessary security for the transportation and distribution of relief supplies.
In outlining the Secretary General's assessment of the position, the report states:
... the immediate concern of the Secretary General is the fact that hundreds of thousands of men, women and children are still facing hunger, disease and violent death, most of them scattered in inaccessible and inhospitable areas of eastern Zaire beyond the reach of those who can bring them help. Neither the United Nations system nor the non-governmental organisation community has the capacity in such conditions to secure access to the refugees and displaced persons and to deliver them the relief they need with the necessary speed. That is why the Secretary General believes that a practical way to avoid a humanitarian disaster is the establishment of some form of military presence in the region.
Against that background, it is the judgment of the Government that planning for the deployment of the multinational force should proceed as a matter of urgency. As indicated, over the period since the passage of Resolution 1080 on 15 November we have been attending an intensive series of meetings of potential troop-contributing countries hosted by Canada. Through this process of consultation a phased, progressive and flexible plan for the deployment of the force has been worked out and agreed by the participating countries. Under that plan, the force's role will evolve to match the changing circumstances and its deployment will proceed on a step by step basis in the context of the overall objective of facilitating the delivery of humanitarian assistance and the orderly, voluntary repatriation of refugees and displaced persons. The first phase of that plan has already been in place for some time. It involved, with the deployment of a small planning staff, assisting the current efforts to provide humanitarian relief and voluntary repatriation as well as assisting in the task of ascertaining the location and condition of remaining refugees and displaced persons in eastern Zaire.
The second phase of the plan was agreed at a meeting of troop-contributing countries in Ottawa last Friday. It involved the establishment of the force's headquarters in Kampala, Uganda, in the coming days. The primary mission of the headquarters will be to direct and co-ordinate ongoing and future activities involved to facilitate humanitarian assistance and voluntary repatriation. The headquarters will liaise closely with the UN humanitarian co-ordinator, who is based in the region and responsible for the coordination of international humanitarian relief. Decisions on further phases of the plan including, for instance, the conveying of humanitarian assistance in eastern Zaire by air lifts or ground convoys, remain to be taken. The establishment of the headquarters in Kampala should considerably enhance the planning and information-gathering for such options.
Political oversight of the force will rest with a steering group in close consultation with the UN Secretary General. This steering group, formally established by Canada at last Friday's meeting in Ottawa, will have 14 members, two of whom will be in an ex officio capacity. The group will comprise Canada, Belgium, Cameroon, ex officio as chairman of the Organisation of African Unity, France, Japan, Senegal, South Africa, Italy, Ireland, ex officio as EU Presidency, Spain, the UK, the US, Uganda and Sweden. The steering group was chosen for the most part on the basis of the size of the proposed contribution of the particular country to the force. The group will have a decisive say in regard to any proposal to move from one stage of the phased plan to the next. The group is expected to meet mostly in New York with participation likely to be by the permanent representatives to the United Nations. The New York location will also facilitate close liaison with the UN.
In regard to the precise composition of the force, the Canadian Government circulated a detailed series of questions to potential troop-contributing countries last week. Ireland responded promptly making it clear in doing so that our proposed participation in the force was subject to Dáil approval. I will outline to the House the elements set out in our offer. They are as follows: for the force headquarters, a number of staff officers and non-commissioned officers; radio operators to assist in the communications centre of the HQ; military police and a small number of experienced officers who could provide liaison with NGOs and local authorities. These officers have experience of having served previously in Rwanda with NGOs. Should ground development in eastern Zaire be decided on we have offered additional elements, an engineering component and a transport platoon.
Depending on the elements the Canadian Government wishes to take up, in the light of requirements, from our offer, Ireland could be contributing a contingent of 100 plus troops to the multinational force. Ireland's contribution will be primarily oriented to the logistical support side of the multinational force.
I wish to make the following additional points about the force and our proposed contribution to it. Canada is currently evaluating the offers of the various countries wishing to participate in the force. In our case it is doing so in direct consultation with our Defence Forces on a daily basis. Canada has not yet decided which offers it will require to set up the headquarters in Kampala. For this reason, and in view of the relatively large number of countries proposing to contribute, we cannot say the precise level or nature of the Irish involvement in the headquarters element in Kampala.
Ireland will have to finance its participation in the force from its own resources. The United Nations has established a trust fund to assist participation in the force of African countries. Ireland proposes to contribute £250,000 to that fund. The force commander will be General Maurice Baril of Canada.
The establishment of the force falls under Chapter Seven of the Charter of the United Nations. Draft rules of engagement for the force are currently being elaborated by Canada, in conjunction with potential troop-contributing countries. They have not yet been finalised. For our part, it goes without saying that the safety of our troops will be a major consideration in determining the details of our participation in the force.
The ultimate size of the force has not yet been determined. Canada envisages that for the current level of the operation the troop requirement will be of the order of 2,000. The future size will depend on the way in which the deployment plan evolves, in accordance with needs, over the coming period. Accordingly, Irish Defence Forces deployment will also depend on the operational option decided as the planning for the force is developed and depending on the situation.
Deployment of those elements of the Irish offer required by Canada will take place as quickly as possible. The first elements of the force headquarters are being put in place in Kampala this week. In determining the speed with which Ireland can deploy its contingent, issues such as transportation of heavy equipment, if required, will be factors. Irish participation in the force will be reviewed after six months or earlier if the objectives of the operation have been fulfilled in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1080 of 1996.
UN Security Council Resolution 1080 indicates that the operation will terminate on 31 March 1997, unless the Council, on the basis of a report of the Secretary General, determines that the objectives of the operation have been fulfilled earlier. Resolution 1080 envisages the establishment of a follow-on operation which would succeed the multinational force and the Security Council has requested the Secretary General to submit for its consideration, no later than 1 January 1997, a report containing his recommendations regarding the possible concept, mandate, structure, size and duration of such an operation.
That is the overall background to the proposed participation by Ireland in the multinational force. The Government believes that we have the support of the people in offering the deployment of our troops in this force. Our Defence Forces have a long and proud record of service in peacekeeping around the world. Our troops look forward to playing their full part in Africa with the Irish NGOs who are already performing such excellent work, in the task of bringing humanitarian assistance to those in need as a result of this crisis and to helping with the voluntary repatriation process. The step by step flexible approach proposed for the force by Canada is a sensible and prudent one which balances the humanitarian needs of the situation with the safety of the participating troops. We are all aware of the volatile nature of the situation in eastern Zaire. It is right that the planning for the deployment of troops from the international community in that situation should be done on an extremely thorough and careful basis, which inevitably is taking time. Our troops deserve no less.
I strongly commend the motion to the House.