According to Tánaiste Simon Harris, draft legislation to change the State’s “triple lock” on the deployment of Defence Forces peacekeepers abroad will be presented to cabinet this week, reports Breaking News.
Mr. Harris stated that “paralysis at UN” cannot sustain Ireland’s “proud tradition” in peacekeeping.
The proposed modifications, according to the Tánaiste, have “nothing whatsoever to do” with military neutrality, reports Breaking News.
Ireland is now prohibited from sending more than 12 Defence Forces peacekeepers abroad unless a peacekeeping deployment is authorised by the UN Security Council, the Government, and the Dáil.
Mr Harris told the RTÉ This Week programme: “The idea of the UN Security Council having a veto on where we deploy Irish troops in relation to peacekeeping is something that needs to be modified,” reports Breaking News.
“The UN Security Council hasn’t found itself in a position to authorise a peacekeeping mission since 2014. I think everybody in this country is very proud of the work done by the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann overseas in peacekeeping but we cannot have a situation where any one of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Russia or anybody else, can veto that decision,” reports Breaking News.
According to Mr. Harris, he was suggesting raising the maximum number of soldiers who may be deployed on peacekeeping assignments without setting off the triple lock from 12 to 50.
He said: “That is in line with military advice. That 50 includes all of the various personnel that would be required to go on a mission. Secondly, I am proposing instead of the UN Security Council and effectively Putin or others having a veto on where our troops go, that missions would have to be in line with the UN Charter,” reports Breaking News.
“This has nothing whatsoever to do with military neutrality. We are remaining militarily neutral. I value Irish neutrality, we are not joining any military alliances. But it does mean we have to be empowered to work particularly with other European countries on peacekeeping missions,” reports Breaking News.
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