End of our Neutrality!

national | anti-war / imperialism | news report

Thursday February 09, 2006 21:55

by Anti PANA

Ireland joins the EU Battlegroups

O’Dea gives green light for Ireland’s Future Participation in EU Battlegroups.

http://www.defence.ie/website.nsf/Release+ID/622659392FF1240180257110004EE5F8?OpenDocument

At last Ireland is begining to pull its weight internationally.
Expect the usual suspects to be crying out tomorrow that this is the end of our supposed neutrality.
Michael D, the Green, shinners, the screaming headline form Daily Ireland and crying on Newstalk.

we need to face up to the truth we are not neutral.

PRESS RELEASE

O’Dea gives green light for Ireland’s Future Participation in EU-led
Peace Support Missions

Defence Act to be amended to facilitate PDF participation in humanitarian operations

This afternoon in McKee Barracks, Defence Minister Willie O’Dea T.D. announced that, following informal discussions at Government, he has authorised his officials to open exploratory discussions with potential EU partners on Ireland’s participation in a Battlegroup.

Emphasising that Ireland’s staunch support for the Charter of the United Nations and of the primacy of the UN Security Council in the maintenance of international peace and security would continue, Mr O’Dea stated “we take very seriously our obligation under the Charter to make armed forces, assistance and facilities, available to the Security Council, in order to contribute to international peace support operations.”

“Battlegroups are simply another vehicle within which Ireland can continue to play its role and contribute to effective multilateral action in support of international peace and security. They are one further way of expressing our commitment to the UN and its principles.

We will seek, in cooperation with like-minded nations, to contribute to the development of the Battlegroup concept and, through this, to remain at the forefront of developments within the international community in supporting international peace support operations. To date, 22 of the 25 EU Member States have made a commitment to a Battlegroup. Our participation is fully in accordance with our traditional support for the UN. Deployment of our troops in individual peace support operations will be decided by own national decision-making process, on a case-by-case basis. The Triple Lock of UN, Government and Dáil approval will continue.

The EU has the capacity to intervene and to quickly deploy a temporary force into a developing situation and to prevent it from escalating into a catastrophe. It has the potential to play an increasing role in responding to such crises, in providing humanitarian relief and in supporting the maintenance of international peace and security in furtherance of the aims of the United Nations and the UN Charter.

In the past two decades we have witnessed some of the worst atrocities in man’s history, most notably the carnage in Rwanda and Srebenica. Accepting this role is not just an EU ambition, rather it is an EU obligation.

Participation in a Battlegroup imposes no obligations in relation to international or multilateral defence. Ireland’s basis for participation in missions undertaken by the EU is grounded in the legitimacy conveyed by the UN Security Council. This will not change.

I intend to update the wording in the Defence Act to more closely reflect current practice in the formulation of UN Security Council resolutions endorsing Peace Support Operations. I also propose to provide for the participation by Defence Forces personnel in humanitarian operations in response to natural and man-made disasters such as the tsunami in South East Asia or the earthquake in Pakistan.

“The UN is asking us to continue to make the expertise, and commitment of our Defence Forces available to them, including through the EU Battlegroups. Not to do so would be to depart from our traditional policy of full support to the UN.” concluded Mr. O’Dea.

ENDS

Issued by: Department of Defence Press Office. Ph. 8042108 / 087 2340397

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Comments (7 of 7)

I'm neutral

by anti-panadol

Thu Feb 09, 2006 21:59

how about you?

In neutral...

by Charles B.

Fri Feb 10, 2006 11:05

but ready to stick it into gear when ready to take off.
Irish neutrality is a myth anyway. We're hardly like the Swiss now are we? They even had a referendum to permanantly disband their armed forces, and while this was not carried, it shows that they at least considered the idea. As someone said yesterday, Irish neutrality came up during the 2nd world war, when it was really just a way of us saying that as a soverign nation, we can make our own decisions, thank you very much, but we were up for both sides, and eventually whoever won(although we did comiserate with the losers). If we're still neutral, then the US isn't at war with anyone.

swiss

by Grutzi

Fri Feb 10, 2006 11:13

Switzerland, like most neutral countries uses its large and well prepared Armed Forces as one of its main guarantees of its neutrality.

well I suppose...

Fri Feb 10, 2006 13:35

if you have an army you might as well have a good one. But the Swiss did at least have the debate. And besides with all that dodgy gold and other stuff in yer banks, it might be a good idea to have a few blokes with guns knocking around, that is to guard the banks like, not to rob them. Its like over here too, what would our armed forces do at home if it wasn't for escorting bank vans? Play war games all day, they do enough of that already.

Swiss aren't neutral either

by Ron

Fri Feb 10, 2006 13:50

The Swiss guards protect the Pope

What the EU is defending is worse than any aggressor!

by Coillte, and proud of it!

Sat Feb 11, 2006 19:46

The EU Rapid Force is a good idea if we were a totally glued in society i.e. have an idea of our long term future rather than over indulgence in material goods, which is what we have now. There are near 250,000 less children in Ireland under 20 yrs today than in 1984 (contrast this with the near 4,000 lives lost in Northern Ireland since the start of the troubles in the early 70s). The birth rate has collapsed in Europe over the last 40 years. There are 2m less births per annum in the former EU15 now than in the middle 60s. The EU is a rapidly barren and aging society and therefore decaying. No war will decimate our population to a fraction of an extinct as to what we are silently doing to ourselves. Power only comes out from the barrel a gun in the short term! Our society has lost an understanding of the whole meaning of life. There is a huge vacuum opening up and Allah and his followers are rapidly filling it whether we like it or not! What do we do! First let us wake up to reality! Ask ourselves! What is it we are defending?

I am not

by neautral

Sun Feb 12, 2006 23:41

when it comes to the invasion of my homeland!!!

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End of our Neutrality!

Comments (7 of 7)