Vol. 521 No. 5
33 Ms Fitzgerald asked the Minister for Defence the current situation regarding our commitments in south Lebanon; the current situation facing our troops serving there; the Government response to requests for further troops; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17451/00]
37 Mr. Timmins asked the Minister for Defence the current situation with regard to the Irish UNIFIL contingent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17520/00]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 33 and 37 together.
As the House will be aware, the Israeli Government had declared its intention to withdraw its forces from Lebanon not later than July 2000. United Nations Security Council Resolution 425 of 1978 required Israel to end its presence in South Lebanon. UNIFIL was established in 1978 to confirm the withdrawal of Israeli forces, to restore international peace and security and to assist the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area.
The Israeli withdrawal commenced with a certain degree of suddenness on the weekend of 20 and 21 May 2000. In the preceding days the Israeli defence force withdrew from some positions in south Lebanon and handed them over to the surrogate South Lebanese Army De Facto Forces, SLA/DFF. An influx of former inhabitants to the area ignited the total collapse of the SLA/DFF and resulted in the Israeli withdrawal from practically all its positions. Fortunately, these developments were marked by a relatively low level of violence.
Members of the Defence Forces have been deployed for service with UNIFIL since 1978. On 4 April 2000 the Government approved the provision of a replacement contingent to UNIFIL, comprising approximately 620 personnel of all ranks for a six month period beginning on 19 April 2000. The Government decision also allowed for preparations to be made for the selection, training and equipping of a further contingent of approximately 620 personnel of all ranks to provide for the possibility of Ireland's continued participation in the UNIFIL peacekeeping force beyond July 2000 in the event of the further extension of the UNIFIL mandate beyond that date. The UNIFIL mandate is reviewed by the UN Security Council every six months. In January 2000 the Security Council extended the mandate for a period of six months to 31 July 2000.
The UN has been engaged for some time past in ongoing contingency planning for the post withdrawal situation. The UN Secretary General reported to the UN Security Council on 22 May 2000 after a visit by his special envoy, Mr. Roed-Larsen, to the region. The special envoy was despatched again to the region on 24 May 2000 to ensure that the requirements put forward by the Secretary General to enable UNIFIL to discharge its mandate were met and that all parties concerned were committed to co-operating fully with the UN in the complete implementation of Security Council Resolution 425 of 1978. In terms of UNIFIL troop strength, the Secretary General had indicated that developments attendant on the withdrawal may require an increase in strength of the force.
In this regard formal requests were received by Ireland from United Nations headquarters for an increase in the number of AML 90s, armoured vehicles, as well as an increase in the number of personnel deployed to the mission. Four Panhard AML 90s were despatched to the IRISHBATT area of operations early this month in response to the UN request. In addition, UNIFIL has supplied IRISHBATT with an additional five armoured personnel carriers to meet the additional patrol tasks which have arisen as a result of the Israeli withdrawal. IRISHBATT is now required to patrol an area almost double the size of that previously patrolled.
The military authorities estimated that the increased patrolling utilising the extra equipment would result in the need for an additional 50 personnel and the Government on 30 May 2000 authorised the deployment of an additional 50 Defence Forces personnel with the 87th Infantry Battalion in UNIFIL until the end of its present tour of duty in October 2000. IRISHBATT may be required to deploy to four or five new positions in the former Israeli controlled area and this would require a Defence Forces engineer party, comprising of 60 personnel, to be sent to the area to construct these new positions. The Government also agreed to assign an engineer party to undertake essential construction work in the IRISHBATT area of operations should the exig encies of the operational situation so require. Should this requirement arise, it would be proposed to undertake the necessary works during the months of July and August.
On foot of the Government decision, 50 Defence Forces personnel departed yesterday for Lebanon. The military authorities have advised that the present security situation is calm. On 16 June 2000 the UN Secretary General advised the Security Council that the Israeli withdrawal from Lebanese territory was complete, thus complying with the terms of Security Council Resolution 425 of 1978.
The White Paper on Defence assumed a withdrawal from Lebanon. Does the Minister believe that will be the case in the short or long-term? If that is not the case because circumstances change, how does he envisage us meeting our commitments to the EU rapid reaction force? Given that he will have to make commitments on this at the conference in October, how does he see the situation developing?
As the Deputy knows, we have record numbers engaged in peacekeeping activities and humanitarian tasks in a variety of missions throughout the world. I said from the first day I went to south Lebanon that I wanted to reach the day when Security Council Resolution 425 was met, the Israeli forces were back at the border and we could have a peace settlement to the long-standing difficulty there. We have reached that stage and the Security Council is satisfied with it. Assuming the security situation remains calm, we should be able within a couple of years to end our commitment to south Lebanon. That enormous commitment by a small country is 22 years old. We are glad we can see the day coming when we will be able to release the number of personnel engaged in those activities to alternative missions in other parts of the world or in Europe.
I note the Minister said "a couple of years". As regards the expectations of our EU partners that we will be involved in the rapid reaction force, how will we be able to make and sustain the level of contribution expected of us, given the reduction in the size of the Defence Forces, if our troops are still engaged in Lebanon? Has the Minister had discussions with the UN about the withdrawal of troops? Safety and security are major issues for members of the Defence Forces serving in Lebanon and particularly for their families. Is the Minister satisfied about the safety and security of Irish troops serving in Lebanon? I know the Minister for Foreign Affairs has had several meetings. With whom has the Minister for Defence had contact and what reassurances has he received on that issue?
I would like a response on another issue. The Minister has just referred to seven more years in Lebanon, and I appreciate the timetable is probably a little unpredictable and will depend on the way the peace process evolves there, but is he not facing a serious issue in terms of our commitments at EU level if we have to maintain that major commitment in south Lebanon?
All the decisions relating to the EU commitments that may arise in the context of a rapid deployment force have yet to be made but we would need to be in a position to indicate Ireland's ability to meet whatever is required of us by 2003. I am giving the Deputy a fairly long timescale for Lebanon because I want to be sure I have covered the ambit as well as possible. The timespan may be much shorter. We would be infinitely happier if that were the position because that would mean there would be peace in the region and people would have an opportunity to live normal lives.
As far as the security of the personnel is concerned, obviously this is a priority for me as Minister for Defence. It is a priority for the Government. Rigorous training is carried out before the contingent travels; there is the question of using armoured personnel carriers in the area previously occupied by the Israelis; there are the reinforced concrete provisions that are made so that our soldiers can withstand, in these bunkers, direct and indirect firing; and my engagement in the acquisition of armoured personnel carriers and other sophisticated equipment on an ongoing basis to make sure the security of the forces and the concerns of the families are addressed. Having said that, I am not in a position to give absolute guarantees. We have to do everything possible within our control to make sure our personnel are safe, and we are doing that.
