Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 7 Dec 1995

Vol. 459 No. 5

Written Answers. - Conflict in Former Yugoslavia.

Ivor Callely

Ceist:

61 Mr. Callely asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the United Nations peace-keeping forces, particularly the efficiency of the United Nations in the conflict in the former Yugoslavia; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17604/95]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

Since the end of the Cold War, the UN has been engaged in a substantial, and largely successful, intensification of efforts to resolve longstanding conflicts throughout the world. The UN operations in Namibia, Cambodia, Mozambique and El Salvador are regarded as particularly successful. However, there have been other UN operations which did not fully achieve their objectives. The UN is now applying the lessons of these operations. For example, in the light of its investment in Somalia, the UN is taking a more cautious approach to peace enforcement action under UN command and more attention is being given to peace-keeping in its traditional form to which Ireland has contributed substantially over the years. New attention is also being paid to conflict prevention and the mechanisms for early warning.

The United Nations peace-keeping presence in Bosnia-Hercegovina, Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, has been the largest UN peace-keeping mission to date. The Security Council deployed UNPROFOR to alleviate the impact of war on the civilian population; to contain the conflict and to mitigate its consequences.

UNPROFOR worked, in the most difficult of circumstances, to create a climate conducive to the negotiation of an overall settlement. The presence of the United Nations peace-keeping forces and the UNHCR and other humanitarian and relief agencies to which they afforded protection, has been invaluable in saving many thousands of lives. For example, the UN is currently providing humanitarian assistance for 3.6 million people in former Yugoslavia.

In Croatia, the deployment of the UN peace-keeping force brought an end to the Serbo-Croat war in 1991, and relief to the victims of the conflict. It was instrumental in reducing the possibilities for a new Serbo-Croat war. The small United Nations peace-keeping presence in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia has helped prevent the conflict spilling over. This has been a most effective exercise in preventative deployment by a UN peace-keeping operation.

The efficiency of the United Nations operations in Croatia and Bosnia-Hercegovina, where peace-keeping troops were deployed in unique circumstances, could have been enhanced had the United Nations enjoyed the full co-operation of the parties which is essential for all successful peace-keeping operations. Its ability to discharge its mandates effectively would also have been improved if UNPROFOR had been provided with the very substantial additional troops which the Secretary-General had sought.

Looking to the future of UN peace-keeping operations it is accepted that there is an urgent need to improve the response capability of the UN at the beginning of a crisis since early deployment could prevent an escalation of conflict. The UN is actively addressing this issue. There is also a growing view that regional organisations could be given a greater role under UN mandate in dealing with crises. In addition, the role of humanitarian aid in the context of conflict prevention is receiving increased attention.