John Gormley
Question:129 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Defence if it is possible to send Irish troops abroad as part of the European Rapid Reaction Force without a UN mandate; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28542/00]
Written Answers. - European Rapid Reaction Force.
As the Taoiseach, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and I have stated on a number of occasions, the practical policy position is that Ireland has consistently confirmed its intention to participate only in peace support operations authorised by the United Nations. Therefore the question of members of the Defence Forces participating, in the context of the EU Headline Goal, in an overseas peace support operation which has not been authorised by the UN does not arise.
The elaboration of the EU Headline Goal will facilitate the achievement by 2003 of an EU capacity to conduct the Petersberg Tasks. Ireland's ongoing participation in the development of European security and defence policy is fully consistent with our policy of neutrality and our commitment to international peace and security. The centrality of the UN and the primary role of the UN Security Council in matters of peace and security is explicitly recognised by the EU. Participation in an individual Petersberg mission remains a sovereign decision by the Government in every instance and on a case by case basis and any decision to participate would require Dáil approval in accordance with existing legislation.
The recent EU Capabilities Commitment Conference provided the opportunity for the EU member states, including Ireland, to indicate formally the resources that they can make available for potential humanitarian or crisis management operations. These contributions were made in the context of the voluntary Headline Goal agreed at the European Council at Helsinki last year. In our interventions at the conference, Ireland reiterated these points and specified that in our case, in compliance with the terms of the relevant Irish legislation, we will participate only in missions authorised by the United Nations.