UN/IRELAND:Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern will seek assurances on the safety of Irish peacekeeping troops due for deployment to Chad when he meets the Sudanese foreign minister on the margins of the UN General Assembly tomorrow.
Last week the Cabinet approved the deployment of a reconnaissance mission to Chad with a view to sending 300-350 Irish soldiers as part of a UN peacekeeping mission to protect refugees who have fled the conflict in neighbouring Darfur.
A number of camps in eastern Chad have been subject to cross-border raids by Sudanese militias.
The Cabinet move followed the approval last Tuesday by the UN Security Council of the deployment of a hybrid peacekeeping force to the region.
Under the plan, 300 UN police officers will monitor camps accommodating Darfuri refugees and internally displaced people.
The officers will be accompanied by 3,000 European Union troops during the one-year deployment.
More than 200,000 refugees from Darfur and 173,000 displaced people are currently living in camps in eastern Chad, according to the UN.
The hybrid force will also ensure humanitarian aid gets to where it is needed and also that aid workers can travel around freely.
Mr Ahern will also raise concerns about the safety of aid workers in the region when he meets his Sudanese counterpart Lam Akol tomorrow.
"He will emphasise the important role the Sudanese government can play in ensuring the safety of foreign NGOs and African Union and UN troops in the region," a spokesman for Mr Ahern said.
Since 2006, Ireland has provided €27 million in aid to Sudan and almost €7 million to Chad and the Central African Republic. The Government has also contributed €5 million to fund the African Union deployment in Darfur.
Mr Ahern, who visited the region last year, plans to travel there again in November.
The Minister was also due to hold bilateral meetings with the foreign ministers of Moldova, Uganda, Turkey, Indonesia and Iran. He will address the general assembly tomorrow before leaving for Washington where he will meet with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.