asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the plans he has to ensure the safety of Irish troops serving in the Lebanon; and if he will make a statement on the latest outrage when an Irish soldier was shot and wounded.
Written Answers. - Irish Troops in Lebanon.
61.
As the Deputy will be aware, the Secretary-General of the United Nations has been given the responsibility by the Security Council for the day-to-day administration of the force and the Secretary-General, in turn, has appointed a force commander who has responsibility for the operational deployment of the force. I am in regular contact with the Secretary-General, either personally or through official channels, in connection with UNIFIL, and I am confident that the Secretary-General is fully aware that the safety of our contingent is of the highest importance to the Government. In addition, I have ensured that all the parties involved in the Lebanon fully understand the great importance we attach to the safety of UN troops. Overall, I think that these efforts have been reasonably successful but given the extreme volatility of the region, which causes UNIFIL to be there in the first place, it will be understood that absolute security can never be taken for granted.
At the same time, at the UN and though our diplomatic contacts, we have expressed our strong concerns at all incidents of harassment of, or attack on, our UNIFIL contingent. We have made it clear that UNIFIL should be allowed to implement its mandate so that it can fully discharge the tasks with which it has been entrusted.
The Government keep under constant review the safety of Irish troops serving in Lebanon. Irish troops serving with UNIFIL maintain a high level of security precautions and constant efforts are made to ensure that this level of alertness is kept up. Safety and security requirements receive a high priority in training undertaken by Defence Forces personnel in preparation for peacekeeping duties.
The high level of training received by Irish troops serving in Lebanon contributes to their security. Despite this the Government are concerned at any threat to their physical safety. UNIFIL is faced with a difficult mission in seeking to maintain peace and stability in the Lebanon and potential dangers do exist.
The Government view with grave concern the latest incident involving the shooting of an Irish soldier which took place on 23 March. The shooting of Pte. Kevin Horan appears to have been the responsibility of a Muslim militia group. UNIFIL has experienced only sporadic difficulties with such groups in the past and UN officials do not believe that this latest incident was part of any concerted attempt to begin harassment of UNIFIL. I will, needless to say, be monitoring this situation very closely. I am happy to report that Private Horan is making a good recovery.