The UN secretariat has invited Ireland to participate in the 15,000-strong peacekeeping mission to Lebanon which is being established under a Security Council resolution, UN sources told The Irish Times last night.
Government sources confirmed that an invitation was sent yesterday morning to Ireland's UN Mission in New York to attend a UN briefing on the proposed expansion of Unifil (UN Interim Force in Lebanon) to a maximum of 15,000 troops, under the terms of resolution 1701.
Ireland's contribution would be in the region of 100 to 150 troops, given that more than 760 Irish military personnel are already on various missions around the world, which is close to the maximum number which would normally be deployed overseas. This maximum figure is based on 10 per cent of the Army or about 850 troops.
Participation in the beefed-up Unifil force would be subject to the "triple-lock" mechanism which applies to Irish military missions overseas. In addition to the UN mandate provided under resolution 1701, there would need to be a Government decision to take part in the mission and this, in turn, would have to be approved by the Dáil.
Some 45 UN member-states have been approached about sending troops. The list is believed to include France, Indonesia, Italy, Morocco, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Turkey. Confirming that Ireland was on the list, UN sources said: "It is among a very large number of countries that the UN and the international community is turning to now." Irish military personnel were highly-regarded in UN circles because of their training and their peacekeeping experience and the UN would be "very encouraged" and "most appreciative" if Ireland agreed to participate.
Government sources pointed out that the mandate of the expanded Unifil force would need clarification. France has been making much of the running diplomatically and it was likely that the French would also have a key role in the new arrangements.
Although the situation is developing very rapidly, it was unclear last night whether the Dáil, currently adjourned until September 27th, would have to be recalled to approve Irish involvement in the proposed mission. Deployment of troops would take up to three weeks. It is understood that cost considerations would play a part in any Government decision, as well as the size of the contingent.
Fine Gael defence spokesman Billy Timmins TD has said that his party "strongly supports" Irish participation in the new force and favoured recalling the Dáil, if necessary, to give its approval. Lebanese president Emile Lahoud also welcomed the possibility of Irish participation.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has indicated that the Government would be willing to commit troops, but he cautioned that the contingent would be small, due to other overseas commitments, and said that there were concerns also about the safety of Irish military personnel under such circumstances.