Vol. 482 No. 4
32 Proinsias De Rossa asked the Minister for Defence if he has received a report from the United Nations into the incident in which a number of Irish personnel serving with UNIFIL were injured; the conclusions, if any, of this report; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18130/97]
On 21 June 1997 six Defence Forces personnel were injured, one seriously, when a mine exploded in the UNIFIL area of operations in South Lebanon. As is the standard practice following serious incidents of this nature, the UN established inquiries into the incident. These inquiries have now been completed and the relevant reports have recently been received and are being examined by the military authorities.
I assure the House that my primary concern and that of the Government, is for the safety and well-being of all Irish Defence Forces personnel serving overseas. Because the safety of Irish personnel is of paramount concern to the Government, Ireland was happy to co-sponsor the resolution to establish a Convention on the Safety of United Nations and Associated Personnel. The Government has already signalled its intention of signing and ratifying this Convention at an early date and they intend to bring forward the necessary enabling legislation as soon as possible.
With regard to the question of safety of Irish troops generally in their execution of the UNIFIL mandate, it is obviously not possible to give absolute guarantees as to their safety. I can, however, assure the House that none of the troops engaged on overseas service will be exposed to any unnecessary risks and all possible precautions are taken to ensure their safety. Standard operating procedures are reviewed as necessary. Following the incident referred to, the military authorities have, in accordance with normal procedures, commenced a review of engineer search and explosive ordnance disposal procedures. This review will be completed next month.
