Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 13 Feb 1996

Vol. 461 No. 4

Written Answers. - UN Contributions.

Peter Barry

Ceist:

57 Mr. Barry asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs whether UN contributions to our peace keeping operations are still in deficit; if so, the amount of this deficit; the likelihood, if any, that the account will be in balance by the end of this year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3159/96]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. Spring)

I have to inform the Deputy that UN reimbursement for our peacekeeping costs are still in deficit. Although reimbursements in the amount of IR£3.76 million have been received in the last six months, there is still a substantial amount of arrears owing. This is a cause for serious concern.

As of 13 February 1996, the amount owing to Ireland for costs arising from our participation in the peacekeeping missions of the UN totalled £10,518,000. The bulk of these arrears are owed in respect of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), an operation which accounts for our major personnel input into UN peacekeeping. The breakdown of the total deficit is:

	£
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL)	8,320,000
United Nations Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP)	1,082,000
United Nations Operations in Somalia	1,046,000
Miscellaneous Transport Costs	60,000

Ireland has been persistent in its efforts to seek from the UN an early payment of these arrears in full. I had the opportunity to raise this matter personally with the Secretary-General of the UN, Dr. Boutros Ghali at our meeting in New York in September 1995 and to express to him our concern that a full settlement of these arrears be made as early as possible. Ireland's Permanent Mission to the UN has subsequently pursued the matter on a continuing basis with the UN Secretariat.

The non-payment of arrears for peacekeeping operations, which are owing to many troop contributing states, is of course a direct consequence of the current serious financial crisis facing the UN system. This crisis has been brought about by the non-payment by certain member states of their assessed contributions to the UN budget and led to the decision taken in June 1995 by the Secretary-General of the UN to put a temporary freeze on reimbursements due to troop contributors, including Ireland. Since then the financial crisis within the UN has deteriorated even further. Ireland, along with her EU partners, has called on all member states to honour in full their financial contribution to the UN budget. We will continue to urge them to do so and thus ameliorate the current financing crisis.

Ireland and her EU partners have been equally firm in their view that notwithstanding the current crisis, the UN has a clear obligation to make an early and full settlement of the arrears owing in regard to peacekeeping to member states. For our part we have made clear to the UN that it is particularly important in the case of a smaller state such as Ireland, which has made, and continues to make, a significant commitment in resources to the general peacekeeping role of the organisation, that the UN in turn honours its obligation to reimburse the costs owing as early as possible.

It is not possible at present to give an accurate estimate of when our arrears will be fully reimbursed. We will continue to press the UN on this matter. We would also hope that current efforts under way to seek to resolve the financial crisis within the UN will have a positive outcome and lead to an early clearing of the present peackeeping deficit.