Sir, - The Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network has voiced legitimate concerns (May 22nd) which we all share about the wanton destruction experienced by people in Africa. The Irish Government has already made significant progress on the issues of nuclear non-proliferation and the control of chemical weapons and landmines and is committed to bringing peace and security to Africa and other parts of the world.
I can assure the nuns, brothers and priests of the African Missions that a vote for the Treaty of Nice is a vote for enlargement and is decidedly not a vote for the so-called "militarisation" of Europe. In 1998 the people of Ireland voted in favour of the Treaty of Amsterdam, which set out the terms for the European Union's involvement in peace-keeping, crisis management and humanitarian tasks, commonly known as the Petersberg tasks. Denmark opted out of this aspect of the Treaty of Amsterdam (not the Treaty of Nice) because it is a member of NATO and wishes to pursue its security interests exclusively through that organisation. The Danes now realise that their opt-out limits their ability to participate effectively in EU conflict prevention and crisis management decision-making. The Danish Foreign Minister has recently acknowledged that, arising from this opt-out, they are unable to play a role in relation to the important initiatives the EU is taking on conflict prevention in Africa.
I wish the Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network could have been with me in Brussels last week at a meeting of EU Foreign Ministers when Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, stressed the role which the EU could play as a regional organisation carrying out peacekeeping missions under the umbrella of the UN. The UN already has a standby arrangement with 88 countries, including Ireland, which are ready to commit 147,500 soldiers to UN peace-keeping missions. The UN itself is adapting to the new challenges to peace and security across the globe and the emphasis in the current reforms being undertaken is on a regional approach to peacekeeping. Kofi Annan underlined the shared objectives of the EU and UN organisations in conflict prevention and crisis management.
None of these developments compromise our military neutrality. Ireland has no plans to get involved in any mutual defence commitment. Our involvement in the EU Rapid Reaction Force will be on a case by case basis. Any decision to deploy the RRF will require Ireland's specific agreement. The legal requirement under the Defence Acts for a UN mandate before any Irish troops participate in a specific mission remains; and the approval of both the Government and the Dail will be required.
The procedures for deployment of Irish troops in the RRF are exactly the same as those required for participation in UN peacekeeping operations and I would be pleased to meet the priests, nuns and brothers of the African Missions to give them the sort of assurances they feel they need.
In the meantime, a vote for the Treaty of Nice will be a vote for a more stable, peaceful and democratic continent and will be a further step in fulfilling the wish of the Pope that "Europeans should co-operate, and no country, even the weak one, should be left outside the communities that are now coming into being". I find it sadly ironic that countries such as Poland and the Czech Republic, having escaped the yoke of totalitarian communism, now run the risk that the door to democratic freedom and economic liberation could be closed against them by calls for a vote against the Treaty of Nice. - Yours, etc.,
Brian Cowen TD, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Iveagh House, Dublin 2.