I move:
That Dáil Éireann approves the dispatch, pursuant to section 2 of the Defence (Amendment) (No. 2) Act, 1960, as amended by section 3 of the Defence (Amendment) Act, 1993, of a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force for service with the multinational force in East Timor, known as INTERFET, established under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1264 of 15 September 1999 and that it further approves the terms of the Agreement on Participation in the International Force East Timor (INTERFET), a copy of which was laid before Dáil Éireann on 6 October 1999.
The purpose of this motion, which is required under section 2 of the Defence Act, 1960, as amended by the Defence Act, 1993, is to enable the dispatch of an Irish contingent for service with the UN-authorised multinational force in East Timor. This force was established under the authority of UN Security Council Resolution 1264 of 15 September 1999. The motion also provides for approval of the terms of an agreement on Ireland's participation in INTERFET. A copy of the proposed agreement has been laid before the House.
This agreement provides that Ireland, like all other countries participating in INTERFET, will be responsible for its own costs. Similar provisions applied in Ireland's participation in SFOR, in Bosnia and Herzegovina and, more recently, in KFOR in Kosovo. In commending the motion to the House I wish to underline a number of key points at the outset.
First, upon the outbreak of violence in East Timor in September, the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs contacted a number of their counterparts to mobilise international support for the establishment of a multinational force. Ireland also pursued the matter directly at the United Nations Security Council in calling for the establishment of such a force. Second, INTERFET's presence is central to the international community's co-ordinated efforts to restore security and normality in East Timor, to protect the civilian population and to facilitate the safe return of refugees to their homes. Third, INTERFET was established under the authority of the UN Security Council through Security Council Resolution 1264. The Government welcomed this resolution as soon as it was adopted and indicated immediately its readiness, subject to the approval of this House, to provide a contingent for the multinational force. Fourth, Irish participation in INTERFET is in keeping with our foreign policy traditions and objectives. It is especially in keeping with our long and respected tradition of peacekeeping that Ireland should participate in this UN-authorised force.
I wish to set out the background to INTERFET. The UN Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, adopted Resolution 1264 on 15 September 1999 which, among other things, authorised the establishment force in East Timor with all the necessary means to fulfil its responsibilities under a unified command structure. This was pursuant to the request of the Government of Indonesia, conveyed to the Secretary General on 12 September 1999. The tasks of the forces as prescribed by the resolution are, first, to restore peace and security in East Timor, second, to protect and support the United Nations mission in East Timor in carrying out its tasks and, third, within force capabilities to facilitate humanitarian assistance operations. The resolution went on to authorise the states participating in the multinational force to take all necessary measures to fulfil this mandate.
The United Nations civilian mission, UNAMET, was never entirely withdrawn from East Timor, but its operations had to be retrenched in the face of the then violence against its personnel and facilities. It is now being redeployed and rebuilt on the ground as quickly as the replacement of its matériel and facilities can be provided, and the provision of protection and support to it by INTERFET will continue to be one of the latter's key tasks.
On 14 September the UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, was informed by the Foreign Minister of Australia of that country's willingness to command the proposed multinational force and subsequent to the adoption of Resolution 1264 the Government of Indonesia agreed that Australia could have this role. Preparations were made for the early deployment of the force, which was given the name INTERFET, and deployment in East Timor commenced on 20 September. The overall envisaged strength of INTERFET is 8,000 personnel. Its present strength in East Timor is 5,300.
In view of the geographical location of East Timor, the Security Council and the broad international community were anxious that support for broad implementation of Resolution 1264 be provided, to the greatest extent possible, from the region. This has been done, with participation in INTERFET either already under way or promised, by several Asian countries. In addition, a number of our EU partners have also made commitments and some have already had their forces on the ground. Contributions are also being provided by other countries, including the USA and Canada.
With regard to the duration of the INTERFET mission in East Timor, it is taking place under what is known as Phase II of 5 May agreement between the United Nations, Indonesia and Portugal, which underpins the entire process towards independence in East Timor. The period known as Phase III will commence when the Indonesian Parliament ratifies the result of the 30 August referendum. Such ratification is expected, at the latest, by the middle of November.
Under Phase III the United Nations will take over the administration of East Timor in an interim capacity, and for the purpose of assisting the East Timorese to assume the tasks and burdens involved in their independence. As part of the United Nations administration, new arrangements will be made for peacekeeping and security. INTERFET will continue in existence until these are in place. While it is not possible to say at what date such a changeover will take place, it is expected to occur within a period of eight months at the maximum – indeed the duration could be less.
East Timor is a major challenge for the international community and is an important foreign policy issue for Ireland. It is likely to be a major issue on the international community's agenda for a considerable time. Irish participation in INTERFET would be in line with the prominence which Ireland has taken on the issue of East Timor within the EU. Ireland has contributed to the United Nations mission in East Timor and is maintaining military liaison officers with that body.
Participation would also be in line with the Government's underlying approach to the crisis. Key elements of this approach are that the crisis should be resolved in accordance with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and the decisions of the UN Security Council that the democratically expressed wish of the people of East Timor for independence be implemented and that displaced persons within East Timor, in West Timor and other parts of Indonesia must have the right of full and safe return.
East Timor is devastated as a result of pro-Indonesian militia activity and the destruction caused by departing Indonesian security forces. The capital, Dili, and many other towns have been destroyed. Roads and other infrastructure are in very poor condition. Many thousands of East Timorese have been living, with scarcely any food or shelter, in the mountains, having fled their homes on the outbreak of violence which followed the referendum. Some have returned to their homes since the arrival of INTERFET, but many are still reluctant to do so until security has been restored. Some of the estimated 230,000 East Timorese living in refugee camps in West Timor are also beginning to return. Many people had been forcibly removed either there or to other parts of Indonesia. The Indonesian army has withdrawn the vast bulk of its forces and has left a token presence of approximately 1,400 men. To avoid a security vacuum pending the coming into effect of the next stage of the process, there is an urgent need for INTERFET to increase to full strength to ensure peace and stability.
Following discussions between the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Defence, discussions took place between Ireland and Australia to ascertain how the proposed Irish contribution might be most effectively utilised. As a result of these discussions it was confirmed that the proposed Irish contribution, comprising 40 personnel, of whom 30 would be from the Army Ranger Wing, would be welcomed. The proposed Irish contingent will comprise a platoon of 30 personnel drawn from the Army Ranger Wing together with a national support element of six personnel. It is also proposed to provide four staff personnel for the headquarters of INTERFET in Dili. The contingent will form part of a New Zealand battalion. The national support element will be located mainly with the Australian Forward Mounting Base in Darwin, Australia, but also in East Timor as required. Participation by the Defence Forces will be for an initial period of four months, beginning on 15 October 1999, with the possibility of a replacement contingent serving for a further period of four months to mid-June 2000.
The contingent will be under operational control to the commander of INTERFET. The contingent headquarters will be located at INTERFET headquarters in Dili. These headquarters will consist of the senior Irish officer-national contingent commander at lieutenant-colonel level, together with a staff of three. The Army Ranger Wing detachment will come under the senior Irish officer-national contingent commander for national command and discipline purposes. The Army Ranger Wing personnel will be operating within the New Zealand battalion group.
On 5 October 1999 a Defence Forces officer flew to Sydney, Australia, to act as military liaison officer with INTERFET planning staff. On 7 October 1999 two further officers departed for Sydney to make the necessary preparations for the reception of personnel and equipment in Darwin on 15 October 1999. It is proposed that the main body, including staff for INTERFET headquarters, will depart, subject to Dáil approval, for Darwin on 13 October 1999 and that the contingent will deploy in theatre on or about 22 October 1999 after one week's training and acclimatisation in Townsville, Australia.
INTERFET operates under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, that is, it is entitled to use force to implement its mandate and to protect itself and the international civil presence, established in accordance with Resolution 1264. The protective element of Chapter VII mandate is becoming the norm in UN authorised operations in recent years, for example, the Somalia operation, the SFOR operation in Bosnia, the KFOR operation in Kosovo and the UN operation in eastern Slovenia. Troop contributing countries are increasingly unwilling to commit troops to operations unless there is a Chapter VII authorisation to enable the peacekeeping force to take all necessary measures to protect itself.
INTERFET is a challenging and complex undertaking. The situation in the mission is volatile and fluid. INTERFET is attempting to restore peace and security in the area to enable UNAMET to complete its mission and humanitarian organisations to provide the necessary assistance in East Timor. Normalisation of the security situation is, therefore, a priority for the currently deployed elements of INTERFET. The conclusion of the military authorities, following the reconnaissance, is that the risk to INTERFET personnel in East Timor is high and can be expected to remain so in the immediate future. Ongoing risk assessments will take account of developments as the situation in the region evolves.
The safety of Defence Forces personnel serving on overseas missions is always a matter of serious concern and I can assure the House that this aspect was taken fully into account by the Government in making its decision. In this connection, I would refer to the UN Convention on the Safety and Security of UN and Associated Personnel which was adopted by the Sixth Committee of the United Nations on 9 December 1994. Ireland intends to accede to the convention which came into force on 15 January 1999. The purpose of the convention is to secure the better protection of personnel engaged in UN efforts in the fields of preventative diplomacy, peacemaking, peacekeeping, peace building and humanitarian operations. Some 844 members of the Defence Forces are currently deployed on missions abroad, along with approximately 60 members of the Garda Síochána. On 9 February 1999 the Government approved the preparation of legislation to enable Ireland to accede to the convention. The relevant Bill has been published by the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform and was introduced in the Seanad before the summer recess. It is hoped it will be passed by both Houses this term.
As the Irish contingent to INTERFET will exceed 12 in number and will be armed, Dáil approval of the dispatch of the contingent is required under the terms of the Defence Acts. As for SFOR and KFOR, all contributors to INTERFET are responsible for all their own costs. This is set out in the terms of the Agreement on Participation, a copy of which has been laid before the House. The terms of the agreement must be approved by Dáil Éireann under Article 29 of the Constitution. The motion before the House incorporates these terms. I estimate that the total costs arising out of Defence Forces participation in INTERFET for eight months from the end of October will be £1,735 million. The 1999 element of these costs – £834,000 – will be met out of the existing 1999 Defence Vote. It is of course possible, as I indicated earlier, that the duration of the INTERFET mission will be considerably shorter than eight months.
For Ireland, the INTERFET command and control arrangements are broadly analogous to those which currently apply to our participation in SFOR, in Bosnia and Herzegovina and in KFOR in Kosovo. In summary, in so far as the discharge of INTERFET's mandate is concerned, the Irish contingent would come under INTERFET's central and unified command and control structure. All contributing nations will retain national command of their contingents. Moreover, as already applies in the case of SFOR and KFOR, the force commander will utilise national contingents in accordance with their capabilities, taking into account the advice of the national contingent commander.
INTERFET is an important expression, not just of the international community's commitment to peace in East Timor but also of its will to have the democratically expressed wish of the East Timorese people of 30 August upheld and implemented. Participation in INTERFET would be a further concrete example of our commitment to inclusive co-operative security in the United Nations, and to helping the people of East Timor in their search for peace and normal political life.
Ireland has a long-standing reputation in UN peacekeeping which is a legitimate source of pride for all of us. I attach great importance to our continuing involvement in the mainstream of peacekeeping. Our participation in INTERFET is important in this connection. The Government's approach to the situation in East Timor is one of long standing and has been clear, consistent and unwavering throughout. The pro-active decision by the Government in proposing that the Dáil approve participation in the UN-authorised INTERFET is further evidence of the Government's readiness to play a full part in addressing the humanitarian, political and security challenges posed by the crisis in East Timor in a way which is consistent with our own traditions, capabilities and objectives. I commend the motion to the House.