THE Government is being asked to ratify an international convention to safeguard soldiers on peacekeeping duty with the UN, and to use its period of presidency of the EU to encourage other countries to also ratify it.
Under the Convention on the Safety of the United Nations and Associated Personnel, countries whose military forces attack UN soldiers on peacekeeping duties would be subject to international law which could force them to extradite soldiers who killed UN personnel. Some 26 countries have signed the convention, but only one, Denmark, has actually ratified it.
The Permanent Defence Forces Other Ranks Representative Association (PDFORRA), the staff association for rank-and-file Defence Forces' personnel, has spent the last week lobbying political parties, charities and other non-governmental bodies seeking support for the Republic to ratify the convention.
The general secretary of the PDFORRA, Mr John Lucy, said: "The main objective of the convention is to deter attacks on UN peacekeeping forces. It has now become a common practice for warring factions and governments to kill UN peacekeepers or take them hostage in an effort to secure a better bargaining position with the international community."
The convention attempts to close a gap in international law by creating a regime for prosecution or extradition of alleged offenders, he said.
The ratification campaign is supported by the European organisation of Military Associations (EUROMIL) whose president, Mr Jens Rotboll, travelled to Dublin this week to help lobby on behalf of PDFORRA.