John Gormley
Ceist:120 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on a referendum on Ireland's participation in the Partnership for Peace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26357/98]
Written Answers. - Partnership for Peace.
John Gormley
Ceist:121 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if it is his intention that Ireland will join the NATO led Partnership for Peace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [26358/98]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 and 121 together.
I set out my views on the issue of Ireland's participation in the Partnership for Peace in reply to a question in this House on 5 November, and in an article in The Irish Times on Saturday, 28 November 1998.
I am keeping the issue of Irish participation in PFP under close and active review. My intention at this stage is quite clear. It is to try to enhance understanding and informed discussion of the realities of PFP and also to move discussion away from the polarised views and slogans which seemed to me to characterise a good deal of such discussion as there has been about PFP, on either side of the argument.
Accordingly, I welcomed the initiative earlier this year of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs to devote attention to new developments in European security, including Ireland's possible participation in PFP, and I believe that the committee's deliberations have enhanced understanding of the issues within this House.
I have already made my view publicly clear that PFP is not the same as membership of NATO, as the participation of 27 non-members of NATO, including the other EU neutral states and Russia, should surely demonstrate. The case against our participation on grounds of neutrality is not persuasive. It is generally recognised that Partnership for Peace has developed into a major framework for co-operation, training and preparation for UN-mandated peace-keeping, humanitarian tasks and crisis management.
In relation to a referendum, the Government gave a commitment at the time of the debate on ratification of the Amsterdam Treaty that, if the issue of a departure from Ireland's military neutrality were to arise in the future, the issue would be put to the Irish people for their decision in a referendum. I reiterate that commitment. I am committed to our policy of military neutrality and I wish to make it clear that no departure from this policy is envisaged. I am satisfied that there is no conflict between participation in PFP and our policy of military neutrality. Nonetheless, the opportunity of referring to the people, should the Government decide after listening to the debate that participation would be desirable, will arise in the course of the European Parliament election campaign next june, in which, no doubt, parties including my own party, as well as our partners in Government, will have the opportunity to put a policy position to the people as part of their platform.
Further discussion of the issue of Ireland's participation in PFP is needed in this House and elsewhere and that discussion should address realities of the kind that I have already identified.