Vol. 530 No. 6
148 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Defence the current applicable mandate for the Defence Forces at present stationed in the Middle East; the changes effected to the mandate over the past 12 months; and the number of troops involved. [4473/01] 149.
149 Mr. Shatter asked the Minister for Defence if he will detail each of the missions abroad in which the Defence Forces are currently involved; the number of troops and other Irish personnel involved in each mission; the legal basis for the mission, United Nations or otherwise; the projected date for the end of each mission based on existing international arrangements; if the terms and arrangements for our continued involvement in any existing mission are expected to change in the coming months; and if so, if he will detail these. [4474/01]
I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 149 together.
With regard to the Defence Forces' participation in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, I refer the Deputy to my reply to the House to Questions Nos. 35 and 87 on 14 February 2001. As I indicated to the House on that date, the UN Security Council has requested the UN Secretary General to submit a detailed report by 30 April 2001 on UNIFIL reconfiguration plans and on the tasks that could be carried out by observers as part of the United Nations' truce supervision organisation. On foot of this report, the Security Council will review the situation in early May 2001, and will consider any steps it deems appropriate regarding UNIFIL and UNTSO.
The Security Council will be due to consider the UNIFIL mandate in July 2001. The review by the Secretary General in early May 2001 will determine the nature and the level of the force/s to be deployed in south Lebanon for the longer term.
I have indicated on a number of occasions, including during visits to Lebanon and UN headquarters, my desire that the Irish battalion could withdraw from UNIFIL by the end of this year on the basis that the task of UNIFIL has largely been completed. I consider, however, that the six months' rotation in April 2001 will, unless requested otherwise by the UN, take place, and I propose seeking the approval of the Government to deploy a contingent in April 2001. A battalion is currently in training to this end.
The number of Defence Forces personnel currently serving overseas is 870. Details of the various missions are set out in the following tabular statement.
|
1.UN Missions |
|
|
(i)UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) |
608 |
|
(ii)UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation) – Israel, Syria and Lebanon |
11 |
|
(iii)UNFICYP (United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus) |
5 |
|
(iv)UNIKOM (United Nations Iraq Kuwait Observer Mission) |
7 |
|
(v)MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) |
3 |
|
(vi)UNMIK (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo) |
3 |
|
(vii)UNMOP (United Nations Mission of Observers in Prevlaka) |
1 |
|
(viii)UNTAET (United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor) UN Mandated Missions |
44 |
|
(ix)SFOR Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina SFOR HQ Sarajevo |
48 |
|
(x)KFOR International Security Presence in Kosovo |
103 |
|
Total number of personnel serving with UN missions |
833 |
|
2.UN HQ (New York) |
|
|
There is one officer on secondment to the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) |
1 |
|
3.EU Missions European Union Monitor Mission (EUMM) to the former Yugoslavia |
10 |
|
4.Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) |
|
|
(i)OSCE Mission to Bosnia & Herzegovina |
7 |
|
(ii)OSCE Mission in Croatia |
4 |
|
(iii)OSCE Mission in Kosovo |
1 |
|
(iv)OSCE Presence in Albania |
1 |
|
(v)Staff Officer, Higher Level Planning Group, Vienna |
1 |
|
5.Head of Military Staff (Brussels) |
1 |
|
6.Western European Union HQ (Brussels) Western European Union Military Staff |
2 |
|
7.EU Council Secretariat (Brussels) |
1 |
|
8.Liaison Office of Ireland, PfP (Brussels) |
2 |
|
9.Representative to EU Interim Military Body (Brussels) |
1 |
|
10.Military Representatives/ Advisers (on secondment to Dept of Foreign Affairs) |
|
|
(i)Military Adviser, Permanent Mission to UNHQ, New York |
1 |
|
(ii)Assistant Military Adviser, Permanent Mission to UNHQ, New York |
1 |
|
(iii)Military Adviser, Irish Delegation to OSCE, Vienna |
1 |
|
(iv)Military Representative to Ireland's EU/WEU Delegations, Brussels |
1 |
|
(v)Military Representative to Partnership Coordination Cell/Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, Belgium |
1 |
|
Total Number of Defence Forces Personnel serving overseas |
870 |
