I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the report by the Minister for Defence pursuant to section 4 of the Defence (Amendment) Act, 1993.
In accordance with section 4 of the Defence (Amendment) Act, 1993, I wish to report to the House on Irish military participation in United Nations missions in 1996. The compilation of this report has afford me a welcome opportunity to put before the House the contribution made by our troops in the various UN missions around the world, a contribution of which we are all immensely proud.
I would like to speak about the United Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, which is our largest single overseas commitment and which has been much to the fore in the light of tragic events in south Lebanon earlier this year. I refer to the incident when a landmine exploded injuring a number of Irish troops. I wish Private Gary Moloney, who was seriously injured in the explosion, a speedy recovery and every success in the future which lies ahead of his young life. Those soldiers who were injured were able to return to duty shortly afterwards. I propose to speak later about the general issue of landmines and our efforts to secure a global ban on landmines for all time.
Shortly after the landmine incident came the tragic death of Sergeant John Lynch in a helicopter crash in which four Italian peacekeepers were also killed. I convey my deepest sympathy to the bereaved Lynch family. On behalf of the Government I also convey our appreciation of the tremendous job done by our troops in a very trying and hazardous environment in south Lebanon.
For most of 1996 the contingent strength was 624, consisting of a battalion of 542 personnel and 82 personnel at UNIFIL headquarters. As part of a UN decision to reduce the overall strength of UNIFIL, in which eight other countries participate, the Irish contingent strength was reduced by seven in October 1996 when the 80th Battalion took up duty.
The Irish Battalion is deployed in south Lebanon near Tibnin. Irish troops have served there since 1978. During 1996 the battalion continued to carry out its mission by operating observation posts and checkpoints, conducting extensive patrolling, maintaining a village presence and providing humanitarian assistance to a variety of worthy causes such as the Tibnin orphanage and medical clinics in the local villages.
The earlier part of the year was generally quiet but the situation became tense during April 1996 because of an upsurge in activity by armed elements and an escalation in retaliatory fire by the Israeli defence forces and Israeli backed de facto forces. The upsurge in activity was as a result of a roadside bomb in Brachit village, in which one young person was killed and three children injured. There was also an incident in Yatar where two civilians were killed. The Hizbollah accused the Israelis of carrying out these attacks and of breaching the July agreement with the Hizbollah which stated that, if the Israelis did not attack civilian targets in south Lebanon, the Hizbollah would not fire Katyusha rockets into Israel.
As a result, the Hizbollah resumed the firing of Katyusha rockets into northern Israel. One of these landed in the town of Qiryat Shemona injuring a number of civilians. The Israelis responded with heavy artillery and air attacks on south Lebanese villages including villages inside the Irish Battalion area of operation. They warned the civilian population to leave their villages as they were likely to come under attack. They also ordered the population of Tyre to evacuate and move north. This meant the eventual displacement of up to 400,000 people. The cities of Tyre and Sidon were attacked as well as specific targets in southern Beirut including electricity stations and targets in the Bekaa Valley. Cross-border hostilities continued until the ceasefire came into effect on 27 April.
Throughout the April Offensive or, as it was commonly known by the Israelis, Operation Grapes of Wrath, Irish Battalion personnel continued to carry out their duties of manning observation posts, patrolling, reporting and rendering humanitarian assistance to the local population. An Irish medical team and Irish members of the force mobile reserve were involved in the recovery operation in Qana, when the Israeli defence forces shelled the battalion headquarters of the Fijian contingent on 18 April 1996 killing 85 Lebanese refugees and injuring approximately 100 more. Some four Fijian Battalion personnel were seriously injured in the incident. The horror of this incident shocked the world. No Irish personnel were injured during this troubled period. The Irish Battalion troop rotation was delayed by one week due to the security situation in south Lebanon arising from the April Offensive. The rotation commenced on 23 April 1996 and was completed on 7 May 1996.
During this period Irish troops were heavily engaged in humanitarian tasks in the area giving much needed relief to the local inhabitants. These humanitarian missions included searching for missing bodies and participating in the destruction of unexploded war debris. They were also involved in collecting essential hardware such as tents, containers, pumps and blankets from Tyre and delivering them to villages within the Irish Battalion area of operations. An Irish Battalion convoy, which included a Lebanese Red Cross ambulance, distributed food to villages within the area. The convoy also successfully evacuated injured civilians from Shaqra village despite an Israeli defence forces shell warning for the village.
While many of the population in the Irish Battalion area of operations evacuated, a considerable number took refuge in Irish posts. At one time there were as many as 1,000 civilians sheltering in Irish positions. Each battalion is given an allocation of £20,000 for humanitarian assistance during its tour of duty. Following Operation Grapes of Wrath, the Department of Foreign Affairs allotted an additional £75,000 from Ireland's overseas development aid budget to Irish battalions for humanitarian assistance during that difficult period.
Ireland provides 30 military personnel to UNFICYP. Six officers and 24 NCOs have been serving with the contingent. Three officers and five NCOs are filling staff appointments at force headquarters and a camp command component of three officers and 19 NCOs has been serving with the mission since February 1994.
The UNFICYP mandate is "to use its best efforts to prevent a recurrence of fighting and, as necessary, to contribute to the maintenance and restoration of law and order and a return to normal conditions". The principal task of UNFICYP is the maintenance of a buffer zone between the line of the Cypriot National Guard and the Turkish-Cypriot forces. The force is also involved in humanitarian activities. In August 1996, Greek Cypriots organised political demonstrations against the division of Cyprus, which also involved participation from European countries. The demonstrations were held near the UN buffer zone and resulted in confrontations within the buffer zone between Greek Cypriots and others and Turkish Cypriots and Turkish military personnel. The disturbances resulted in the deaths of two Greek Cypriot civilians; one was beaten to death, the other shot. No member of the Irish Defence Forces contingent was involved. There are 15 members of the Garda Síochána attached to this mission. Garda members sought to rescue the civilian who was beaten to death.
Our commitment of 14 officers to UNTSO was reduced to 12 in September 1996 in line with a strength reduction programme being implemented by the UN. We have participated in this mission since 1958.
There are a number of other missions including an observer force, UNDOF, of which Major General David Stapleton, from Tipperary, is commander. There is also UNSMA, a senior military adviser to the Secretary General's special representative. This mission is concerned with confirming violations of the Geneva accords on the settlement of the situation relating to Afghanistan.
Ireland provided five officers to UNIKOM.
UNIKOM's mandate involves monitoring the demilitarised zone established on the Iraq-Kuwait border following the Gulf War.
Ireland's commitment of two officers to UNMIH ended in March 1996. In 1996, we provided eight officers for MINURSO. During the year the officers continued their tasks at the force headquarters in Laayoune.
A number of missions were created in the former Yugoslavia following the closure of the UNPROFOR mission in January 1996; the UN Transition Administration Eastern Slavonia, UNTAES, to which Ireland supplied three officers in 1996; and UNMOP, to which Ireland continued to supply one officer in 1996. Two lieutenant colonels continue to fill the appointments of Personnel Officer and Supply Officer in the United Nations headquarters, New York. Ireland is currently contributing to the stabilisation force, SFOR, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We are also contributing the services of one officer for a three month period as an inspector with UNSCOM.
The amount owed to this country by the UN is £12 million, approximately. Arrears totalling £4.8 million, approximately, were paid in 1996, leaving a total of £12 million, approximately, owed at the 31 December 1996.
I would like to mention the subject of landmines. As the culmination of a year long process known as the Ottawa process, a diplomatic conference in Oslo at the beginning of September 1997 adopted the text of a convention banning the production, stockpiling, transfer and use of anti-personnel landmines. This country has called for a global ban on anti-personnel landmines as a matter of priority and Ireland was closely involved with the efforts to conclude this convention. The convention will be opened for signature on 3 December 1997. The Minister for Foreign Affairs intends to travel to Ottawa to sign it and in this regard he has moved a motion before the House to approve its terms. Following signature of the convention, Ireland will proceed to ratify it.
As part of Ireland's commitment to this process, policy in relation to the use of antipersonnel landmines by the Defence Forces has been reviewed. While the Defence Forces have never used landmines either for offensive or defensive purposes, it is now stated policy that they will not use antipersonnel landmines operationally. They will, however, continue to hold a small quantity for the purposes of training and research which are important factors in ensuring the protection and safety of Defence Forces personnel serving on overseas missions. Article 3 of the Oslo Convention provides for such an exemption.
