Madam, - John Gormley's article of February 15th calls for a response on a number of points.
Yet again, someone who has campaigned against successive EU treaty changes engages in the long-running ploy of calling into question the good faith of Irish Governments and our EU partners. He wheels out the tired argument about the Partnership for Peace, which was demonised for entirely short-term domestic political reasons and which, in practice, has brought great advantages to the Defence Forces in training for peacekeeping. He implies improper pressure on Ireland's policies from EU democracies.
He fails to point out that any EU military mission is subject to the strictly limited terms of the Petersberg Tasks - basically peace-keeping and peace-enforcement in line with the UN Charter - and to decision by unanimity in the Council of Ministers. The question of a UN mandate for such missions must be viewed in the light of the EU decision to intervene in Macedonia in 2003 which was denied a UN mandate because of the opposition of the Beijing politburo. The successful mission prevented a return to civil war in the Balkans.
On Srebrenica, John Gormley is selective. Security Council Resolution 819 was adopted under the terms of Chapter 7 of the UN charter, which provides for peace enforcement, but it gave the Dutch and other troops an unclear mandate and sent them into a war zone without the necessary equipment and back-up. The 1999 report of the Secretary General stated that "peacekeepers must never again be told that they must use their peacekeeping tools. . . to impose the ill-defined wishes of the international community. . ."
The term "battlegroup" is an easy target for anyone who wishes to oppose EU Security and Defence Policy. Minister O'Dea is right to regret the use of the term. It is, of course, a technical description - in military jargon - of a battalion-sized unit of 1,500 troops with support elements ready to launch an operation within five days of approval of an operation within the terms of the Petersberg Tasks. It was exactly the degree of clear goals, preparation, equipment and support that was lacking in the Srebrenica situation.
To enshrine the "triple lock" mechanism in the Constitution would be yet another step towards limiting the freedom of the Government and the Oireachtas to decide foreign and security police in line with the interests of the State and the realities of the international situation. Difficult decisions may have to be made in some circumstances but that is what democracy is about. Gesture politics may provide a short-term sense of moral superiority but will turn out to be bad politics in a changing and challenging world. - Yours, etc,
TONY BROWN, Bettyglen, Raheny, Dublin 5.