Dail Report:There were heated exchanges in the Dáil as Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea accused Fine Gael backbencher John Deasy of being a liar and of misleading the house in a row over the transport of Irish Defence Forces to their peacekeeping mission in Chad.
Leas-Cheann Comhairle Brendan Howlin was hard pressed to keep order as the Minister and the Waterford TD traded insults when Mr Deasy claimed that no transport arrangements were in place to move the main contingent of Irish troops from the west African coast to their base in Chad, an allegation Mr O'Dea vehemently rejected.
Mr Deasy shouted at the Minister that "you haven't got a clue", claiming that no contracts had been signed and "as of today Western Command do not know who is going to transport them and their equipment".
The main contingent of 400 troops is due to be in place in Chad in mid-May as part of the EUfor peacekeeping force and will be deployed to protect refugees in Chad and those displaced by the conflict in Darfur in western Sudan. The advance party heads to Chad today.
Mr O'Dea said that "everything is in place to transport the troops from where they're landing to the area of operations and I can assure the House about that".
He accused Mr Deasy of misleading the House. "He should stop trying to do that and he should stop trying to grab cheap headlines," Mr O'Dea said.
"That is characteristic of you," he then said directly to Mr Deasy. "That has coloured your whole political career since you came in here in the first place. Don't do it at the expense of people who are going out into a dangerous, hostile environment. Show some respect to our troops."
But Mr Deasy insisted arrangements were not in place for the troops to get to their inland base once they arrived off the west African coast.
"You're the Minister, tell us how they're going to get to Chad. You don't know," he shouted.
Mr O'Dea said Lieut Gen Pat Nash, the Paris-based Irish officer commanding the force, "had reassured me that medical and logistical issues had been sorted out to his satisfaction. He's the force commander. I take his word. What would you do in a situation like that?" Mr Deasy shouted "you don't know".
The Minister said he had asked Lieut Gen Nash and when Mr Deasy said: "What was the answer?" Mr O'Dea retorted angrily: "I've already told you the answer - you must be deaf as well as everything else. He said 'yes, they are sorted out'. Can you hear that or do I have to use smaller words for you to understand."
The Minister added: "I deplore Deputy Deasy's rather shoddy attempts to grab a cheap headline on the safety of 400 troops who are going out to a hostile environment, shame on you." Mr Deasy insisted: "You haven't got a clue". Mr O'Dea repeated he deplored Mr Deasy's attitude.
The Leas-Cheann Comhairle intervened and called on the Minister to withdraw a charge that Mr Deasy had lied.
"It's true I said he was lying to the House and I withdraw it - reluctantly," he said.
