Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005
434 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will consider commissioning an investigation into the death toll from the Iraq war to enable the Irish people to more accurately evaluate the consequences of the Government policy of allowing the US military to use Irish airspace and airports in the prosecution of this war; and the number of dead and injured as a result of the Iraq war officially accepted by his Department. [34137/04]
View answerThe Government does not have any information on casualty figures in Iraq, other than those estimates by various commentators, which have appeared in the public domain. Nor does the Government have any means of assessing the accuracy of these figures, or of conducting its own investigation of the matter. However the Government's view, which has been expressed clearly since the outset of the conflict, is that the use of force should be kept to a minimum, and that every possible effort must be made to avoid civilian casualties. The presence of the United States military forces in Iraq has been mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1511 of 16 October 2003 and Resolution 1546 of 8 June 2004.
