Kosovo troops motion approved

The House approved a motion to send Irish troops to Kosovo as part of a United Nations international security presence.

The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, said that the Irish contingent would be made up of a transport company of between 80 and 100 personnel, equipped with 32 vehicles. It was envisaged that a small number of staff appointments within the headquarters of Kfor would, if requested, be filled by officers of the Defence Forces.

"The Government will review the question of continued participation in the light of developments on the ground and other factors, such as security requirements at home and other overseas commitments."

The Fine Gael spokeswoman on defence, Ms Frances Fitzgerald, asked if the State had sufficient numbers and the necessary facilities for its troops to ensure that they could participate in the mission in safety. "The recent Department of Finance memorandum encouraging cutbacks in the Defence Forces must now be seen against our current unpreparedness to send other than a transport group to Kosovo."

She added that Ireland was well placed, on the basis of its extensive United Nations experience, to contribute to new initiatives and to the possible development of peacekeeping capability in Europe. However, without the resources this was not realistic.

The Labour spokesman on defence, Mr Jack Wall, said that there was an obligation on the Government to ensure that Irish troops were not unnecessarily exposed to risk and that they had the equipment and training necessary to guarantee the maximum possible level of safety and security.

"The long delays in providing the Army with modern personnel carriers is particularly unfortunate," he said.

Commandant Martin Gibson (48) will lead the 100-strong Irish contingent to the Kfor United Nations mission in Kosovo this summer, an Army spokesman said last night. Commandant Gibson, currently based in Athlone, will lead a small reconnaisance team to Kosovo next week to determine the logistical support the Army may be called on to supply.