Sir, – The Defence Forces have a total of 442 soldiers serving overseas in 14 different missions with the UN, EU, OSCE and Nato. This amounts to a scattergun approach and is exposing Irish soldiers to undue risks in some inappropriate missions.
Missions such as the Nato force in Afghanistan are arguably making war not peace, and the dangers to Irish soldiers in Kabul will be significantly increased with the withdrawal of most other foreign troops.
Ireland should focus on peacekeeping in serious conflicts such as the Congo and Darfur in which there is an urgent need for high-quality UN peacekeepers, and avoid scattering our soldiers in small packets around the globe.
The vast majority of the Irish people want Ireland to pursue a policy of positive neutrality, that includes sending Irish soldiers to promote international peace and sustainable development, and do not support the resource wars being pursued by the US and NATO, under the guise of humanitarian intervention. Our Irish values are not Nato’s values. The peoples of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya, have not enjoyed peace, or prosperity or humanitarian results from the wars inflicted on them.
Minister for Defence Simon Coveney stated in the Dáil on November 13th that he is reviewing the presence of seven Irish soldiers serving in Afghanistan with Nato. It is vital that these soldiers should not be replaced when their mission ends on December 31st. They should never have been in Afghanistan supporting foreign military occupation. It is vital to ensure that our soldiers are only exposed to justifiable risks and only on genuine UN peace missions. – Yours, etc,
EDWARD HORGAN,
Castletroy,
Limerick.