Dáil Éireann debate -
Wednesday, 22 Apr 1998

Vol. 489 No. 7

Written Answers. - Overseas Missions.

Denis Naughten

Question:

64 Mr. Naughten asked the Minister for Defence if he has asked the Chief of Staff to examine the feasibility of Irish military personnel contributing a major contingent to UN peacekeeping or peace enforcement missions other than UNIFIL. [9279/98]

Richard Bruton

Question:

90 Mr. R. Bruton asked the Minister for Defence the number and location of Irish Defence Forces serving overseas; the future policy, if any, in this regard; and if he will report on his recent overseas visits to Lebanon and Bosnia. [9030/98]

Bernard J. Durkan

Question:

138 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence whether he has received further requests from the UN for the deployment of Irish troops overseas; the total number serving overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9309/98]

Minister for Defence (Mr. M. Smith)

I propose to take Questions Nos. 64, 90 and 138 together.

As the detailed information sought in relation to the number and location of Defence Forces personnel serving overseas is in the form of a tabular statement, I propose to circulate it with the Official Report.

As can be seen there is a total of 736 Defence Forces personnel at present serving overseas. This figure includes 660 personnel who are serving with the United Nations; 51 personnel with the UN authorised Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFOR; 12 personnel with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE; and ten personnel with the European Community Monitor Mission, ECMM, to the former Yugoslavia. There is, in addition, one officer attached to each of the following: the Irish Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, the Irish Permanent Representation to the OSCE in Vienna and Ireland's Observer Delegation to the Western European Union, Western European Union, in Brussels.

As regards the question of contributing additional Defence Forces troops to overseas missions the position is that the level of participation on overseas missions is kept under continual review in order to ensure that security needs at home can be met at all times and that the cost to the Defence Vote does not become excessive. There are no requests at present to contribute to any new missions.

Deputy Richard Bruton has asked me to report on my recent visits to Lebanon and Bosnia. I have already reported to the House on my recent visit to Irish troops serving with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, UNIFIL, in my reply to Priority Question No. 19 today and I would refer the Deputy to that report.

I visited Irish troops serving with the Stabilisation Force, SFOR, in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the period 15 to 17 April 1998. While in the region, I also met with members of the Defence Forces serving with the European Community Monitor Mission to the Former Yugoslavia, ECMM, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe OSCE, and members of the Garda Síochána serving with the UN International Police Task Force.

The primary purpose of my visit was to see at first hand the work of Irish military personnel serving in the region and to convey to them, on behalf of the Government and the people of Ireland, the deep appreciation felt regarding the outstanding manner in which they continue to perform their duties on overseas service. I was extremely impressed by the professionalism of the Irish personnel serving abroad as well as the effectiveness of the various missions. During my trip to Bosnia I also had meetings with General Shinseki, Commander of SFOR, Ambassador Streams, Head of Mission ECMM, Ambassador Barry, Head of Mission OSCE and Mr. Carlos Westendorp, High Representative.

The SFOR mandate will expire in June 1998. It is expected that the UN Security Council will shortly approve a follow on force similar in size and mandate to the existing SFOR. Subject to the terms of the relevant UN Security Council Resolution in this regard, Ireland will shortly consider the question of continuing participation in this mission after June this year.

1.	UN Missions
	(i)	UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon)	597
	(ii)	UNTSO (United Nations Truce Super vision Organisation) — Israel, Syria and Lebanon	12
	(iii)	UNFICYP (United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus)	29
	(iv)	UNIKOM (United Nations Iraq Kuwait Observer Mission)	6
	(v)	UNSMA (United Nations Special Mission to Afghanistan)	1
	(vi)	MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara)	8
	(vii)	UNDOF (United Nations Disengagement Observer Force) — Syria	1
	(viii)	UNSCOM (United Nations Special Commission) — Iraq	1
	(ix)	United Nations Operations in the former Yugoslavia
		(a) UNPREDEP (United Nations Preventive Deployment Force)	2
		(b) UNMOP (United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka)	1
	(x)	Officers on loan to the UN Secretariat in New York	2
	(xi)	UN authorised multinational Stabilisation Force (SFOR) in Bosnia and Herzegovina
		(a) SFOR HQ Sarajevo	50
		(b) Military Liaison Officer, Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, Belgium	1
		Total number of personnel serving with UN missions	711
2.	EU Missions
		European Community Monitor Mission (ECMM) to the former Yugoslavia	10
3.	Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
		(i) Military Observers (1 located in Georgia, 4 in Croatia, 5 in Bosnia-Herzegovina, 1 in Albania)	11
		(ii) Staff Officer, High Level Planning Group, Vienna	1
		Total OSCE	12
4.	Military Advisers/Delegates
		(i) Military Adviser, Permanent Mission to UNHQ, New York	1
		(ii) Military Adviser, Irish Delegation to OSCE, Vienna	1
		(iii) Military Delegate to Ireland's Observer Delegation to Western European Union, Brussels	1
		Total Number of Defence Forces Personnel Serving Overseas	736