Overseas Missions

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 May 2013

Tuesday, 7 May 2013

Questions (103, 105, 306)

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Question:

103. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Defence his plans to deploy personnel to Syria currently. [21290/13]

Seán Crowe

Question:

105. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence if he will provide an update in the current situation for Irish personnel serving with UNTSO, the UN Troop Supervision and UNDOF, the UN Observer Force on the Golan Heights after meeting with them on his recent trip. [21286/13]

Seán Crowe

Question:

306. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Defence if his attention has been drawn to the four day kidnap of 21 UN Peacekeepers by Syrian rebels; and if there is any serious threat to the Irish personnel serving with the UN Troop Supervision Organisation and the UN Observer Force on the Golan Heights. [15519/13]

Written answers

Minister for Defence

I propose to take Questions Nos. 103, 105 and 306 together.

I also met with Major General Iqbal Singh Singha of India, the Head of Mission and Force Commander of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). I was briefed on security issues in that area, especially the growing risks flowing from instability in Syria and the impact of the refugee crisis in the region.

I was also briefed on the detention and subsequent safe release of twenty one (21) personnel serving with UNDOF in early March 2013. In the days following, UNDOF vacated two positions which were particularly exposed to gunfire.

The conflict in Syria has spread to the Golan Heights and has had an impact on the operations of both UNDOF and UNTSO. Both UNDOF and UNTSO are working closely together and have taken a number of steps to increase security and to provide maximum force protection to its members as they conduct their tasks.

Currently, members of the Permanent Defence Force are not serving with UNDOF. However, last month Ireland received requests from the UN to deploy a small number of additional observers to the UN Truce Supervision Organisation in the Middle East to the Headquarters of the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria. These requests are currently receiving consideration and a decision will be made shortly.

Six members of the Permanent Defence Force who had been deployed as unarmed military observers to the United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria (UNSMIS) were withdrawn in August 2012 when the mission’s mandate came to an end.

Question No. 104 answered with Question No. 101.

Question No. 105 answered with Question No. 103.

Questions Nos. 106 and 107 answered with Question No. 82.