asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if in view of the deteriorating situation in Lebanon and the suggestions now being made for a new type of UN force for Lebanon he will state the Irish Government's position in the matter.
Private Notice Questions. - Situation in Lebanon.
I indicated in the statement I made to the Dáil on 8 February the Government's concern about the deterioration in the situation in Lebanon and in particular in Beirut in recent weeks. Since that statement and the withdrawal of the bulk of the multinational force, the situation in the city has not improved and no progress has been made in the direction of national reconciliation in Lebanon.
Lebanon was discussed at a Ministerial meeting of the Ten in Paris yesterday after which an agreed statement was made by the Presidency. Copies of the statement will be made available in the Dáil Library. The statement emphasises the Ten's concern at recent developments in Lebanon and appeals to all parties to agree on a durable and effective cease-fire. It urges the international community to fulfil its responsibilities for the maintenance of peace in particular by establishing in Beirut, with the agreement of the parties concerned, a United Nations force which would take up positions on the departure of the multinational force on the basis of a mandate to be decided on by the Security Council.
The Government believe that a UN presence in Beirut could have a useful role to play. But the precise mandate for such a force is a matter for the UN Security Council.
Discussions are at present taking place in the council. It is, therefore, not possible to say with certainty if and when the Security Council will come to a decision on the establishment of a force or on its precise mandate.
May I ask the Minister, if we are participating fully in these discussions in the UN, as I am sure we are, if he will make it clear during the course of those discussions that we have a vital interest in any future developments in Lebanon and particularly that we are deeply concerned about the future role and deployment of the existing UNIFIL?
The Deputy is not correct when he says we are participating fully in the formal sense in the discussions in the United Nations. This is a resolution going before the Security Council of which we are not a member. From conversations with members of the council and other contacts we had in the United Nations, we are aware of the state of play as it moves along. Our interest in it is very fully understood by the Secretary General and the members of the Security Council.
The Minister is aware that there was in being a committee or body which represented the participating countries in UNIFIL. Would he indicate whether a meeting of that committee was held recently and, if not, would he consider it advisable that a meeting should be held at an early date to consider the position in the best interests of the forces of the countries at present participating in UNIFIL? Could I further ask him if he will insist that, before any decision is taken by the Security Council with regard to further UN participation in Lebanon, and in view of the important repercussions it will have on the position of the existing forces there, our views are fully taken into account by the Secretary General and the Security Council?
In answer to the first part of the Deputy's question, no actual formal committee was established. The members of the contributing countries came together informally and, while that process was not a meeting of the members, it has been continuing. When I was in New York last year I asked the other contributing countries to send representatives to meet me and we had a very useful discussion at that stage. We have a very direct interest in what is happening with regard to the UNIFIL forces in Lebanon. Any decision as to what we might do in a particular set of circumstances would have to wait until we saw the precise mandate the Security Council decided on. That may be known later today or possibly it may not be known for a week if the discussions continue. At that stage we will be free to say whether, if invited, we will participate.
A final supplementary.
No, it is not the final supplementary question at all, a Cheann Comhairle.
It is. I will not have a 35-minute effort.
I am a little disconcerted to find that, through our permanent representative there or otherwise, we are not participating in or at least being consulted about these discussions which are going on at present. Could I ask the Minister to keep two things in mind? The first is the predominant importance of the safety and security of our troops who are in the Lebanon and the other forces who are joined with them in pursuing our mandate there. Will he also bear in mind, now that this ill-conceived and disastrous multinational force has turned out to be the failure most of us knew it would be, the importance of the type of mandate which the United Nations force should have? Because it has had a particular type of mandate to which it has adhered faithfully, the present UN force in Lebanon has built up the trust and confidence of the people of the area in which it is based. That type of mandate should form the basis for any further extension of UN participation in Lebanon. In other words, I am asking the Minister to differentiate clearly between the type of peace-keeping mandate which UNIFIL in Lebanon now has and the peace-enforcement mandate which the disastrous multinational force apparently had.
The Deputy should not be disconcerted, because in reply to his first supplementary I said we are not a member of the United Nations Security Council. Of course we make known our views to the members of the council and we expect them to bear our views in mind in their discussions. We have no direct say in what the United Nations Security Council does at the moment. With regard to the second part of the Deputy's question, that is a point which I made a number of times in the past week or ten days. We distinguish very clearly between peace-keeping and peace-enforcing. I do not want to pre-empt any decision the Government may arrive at but, before we would agree to participate in another force we would have to have a very precise and clear mandate as to what the force are expected to do. Following on that, before we could agree to send a further contingent or operate under a different mandate, that matter would have to come before this House and be discussed here and every Deputy would have a chance at that stage to make his contribution.
A Cheann Comhairle——
We cannot allow this question to go on indefinitely.
It is very important.
It may be very important, but we must approach questions in a reasonable way and not as a mini-debate.
If we cannot raise important internal affairs in this House and you deny us the opportunity to do it, perhaps we could have some latitude in international affairs.
The Deputy cannot change the Standing Orders.
I can try to influence the Ceann Comhairle's interpretation of Standing Orders as applicable to particular situations.
On questions the Ceann Comhairle has an absolute discretion.
I would be very grateful if the Ceann Comhairle would desist from interrupting me.
The Chair will not desist if the Deputy continues to make uncomplimentary remarks about the way the Chair is carrying out its business.
The Minister has anticipated my final question. I want to ask him if in all this matter and in our discussions with the membership of the Security Council and the Secretary General of the UN he would make it clear that we are anxious, as we have always been, to assist in any way we can in helping the UN to contribute to some successful outcome to the tragedy of the Libyan people at present.
The Lebanese people. I presume that was a slip of the tongue. The Deputy is making his contribution to the happiness of the Libyan people.
(Interruptions.)
Order.
I am glad the Minister acknowledges my achievements.
That is not what I said.
(Interruptions.)
Tomorrow's Mussolini.
I did not say that the Deputy had any achievements. I said he was making a contribution to their happiness, which might be a different thing. Of course, what the Deputy says goes without saying. We would be very anxious to make whatever contribution we can either through the EEC or through the UN to bring a sense of normality and peace to that very troubled spot in the world.