Vol. 473 No. 2
26 Mr. R. Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs whether the Government recognises that the Petersberg tasks represent a smoke-screen to camouflage the real nature of the Western European Union which remains a mutual defence agreement committed to the concept of nuclear deterrence and the development of the European arms industry in view of the establishment of the Western European Armaments Organisation. [24784/96]
As the White Paper makes clear, one of the most significant European security developments in recent years was the decision of the Western European Union at Petersberg, Germany, in June 1992 to become involved in tasks other than those arising from the mutual defence commitments in the NATO and Western European Union Treaties. These have become known as the Petersberg tasks. Since 1992, there has been ongoing discussion between the EU and the Western European Union on ways in which the EU can utilise the resources of the Western European Union in accordance with the provisions of the Maastricht Treaty in areas such as humanitarian, rescue and peacekeeping tasks. Discussion of security and defence issues at the Intergovernmental Conference under our Presidency has included consideration of the question of incorporating the objectives of the Petersberg tasks in the Treaty on European Union in the context of giving the Union an enhanced role in crisis management and peace support, in furtherance of the objectives of the United Nations. The Petersberg tasks are in no way a smokescreen, as has been suggested by the Deputy.
As for the question of armaments and nuclear deterrence, full members of the Western European Union remain committed to the concept of nuclear deterrence in the context of their mutual defence commitments. Armaments issues have been discussed by the Western European Union since its foundation and the Western European Armaments Organisation, which is a subsidiary body of the Western European Union, is the latest manifestation of such ongoing co-operation. Ireland is not a member of the Western European Union nor of its armaments bodies.
