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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 4 Nov 2003

Vol. 573 No. 3

Written Answers. - Crisis Management.

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Ceist:

282 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 128 of 8 October 2003, if he will report on the outcome of discussions regarding the EU- UN Political Declaration on Crisis Management at the meeting between the EU Troika and the UN Secretary General on 24 September 2003; and the positions taken by the Government with respect to this issue at that meeting. [24794/03]

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Ceist:

284 Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 128 of 8 October 2003 if he will report on the outcome of discussions regarding Operation Artemis at the meeting between the EU Troika and the UN Secretary General on 24 September 2003; and the positions taken by the Government with respect to this issue at that meeting. [24796/03]

I propose to take Questions Nos. 282 and 284 together.

The EU-UN joint declaration on co-operation in crisis management was signed at the conclusion of the EU Troika meeting with the UN Secretary General on 24 September 2003. Building on the successful co-operation established between the two organisations, the declaration calls for the creation of a joint EU-UN consultative mechanism. This will allow for further co-operation in the areas of planning, training, communication and the exchange of information on best practices. In advance of signature, the Italian Presidency noted that the declaration is an important step in strengthening co-operation between the two organisations. The Presidency confirmed that it would undertake follow-up work with a view to its implementation on a practical level. The UN Secretary General also welcomed the declaration and noted that he looked forward to pursuing the agenda set out therein.

Ireland has welcomed the progress achieved in the EU-UN relationship in recent years. There has been close co-operation between the organisations, particularly in the crisis management area. This is clear in the context of the EU police mission in Bosnia-Herzegovina and also in the more recent case of Operation Artemis in the Democratic Republic of Congo. We have been consistently among the strongest supporters in the Union for the signing of a joint EU-UN declaration. The signature of the joint declaration was a positive step in reinforcing the EU-UN partnership. I look forward to taking forward work on its practical implementation during Ireland's EU Presidency.

The EU Presidency and the UN Secretary General agreed that Operation Artemis had been a success, both in terms of its positive impact on the political process in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in its demonstration of effective EU-UN co-operation on a practical level. The UN Secretary General further noted that the operation had sent a powerful message of solidarity from the EU, which has had considerable resonance in the region. It will be recalled that the operation was mounted by the EU in response to a request made by the UN Secretary General and on foot of UN Security Council Resolution 1484 of 30 May 2003. Ireland was fully supportive of the operation, which formally concluded on 7 September, handing over to a reinforced UN force. Five Irish military officers participated in Operation Artemis, three in the operation's headquarters in Paris and two in the force's headquarters in Entebbe, Uganda. I consider the operation to have worked well, contributing significantly to the stabilisation of the situation around Bunia and demonstrating the EU's ability to respond rapidly to a crisis management situation.
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