This morning in Lebanon, the curtain will fall on a period that has seen members of the Defence Forces discharge themselves with professionalism, dedication and honour. Their role will not go unmarked and nor should it. Emotions will be high as the Irish vacate their headquarters at Tibnin and leave the place they fondly named Camp Shamrock. The baton passes to a Ghanaian United Nations battalion and all peace-loving people will wish them well.
For a little less than a quarter of a century - since June 1978 - Irish troops have served as United Nations peacekeepers in Lebanon. For much of that period, the country was riven by civil war, a war that all but destroyed Beirut. In the southern part, anti-Israeli forces also sought to use their position to attack Israel, occasionally lobbing bombs and rockets over Irish UN positions; at other times, seeking to by-pass the Irish and make incursions across the frontier. In the midst of this heady cocktail of armed factions, warlords and, at times, the Israeli army in hot pursuit, Irish UN troops stood firm and sought to carry out the mandate of the United Nations.
To say this placed Irish troops in a difficult position, is to understate the challenges they faced. That they continued to discharge their duty at all under such circumstances is to their great credit. That they discharged it with professionalism and impartiality brought credit not only on themselves but on their country as well. Their roll of honour includes the 46 soldiers who died, either in the line of duty or through accidents, and the many others who were injured. Ireland and their families can be proud of their sacrifice - the more so because it was in defence of peace and on behalf of the UN.
Ireland's relationship with the UN is developing, not static. So too, our relationship with the European Union and the peace-keeping role it is seeking through the Rapid Reaction Force; as well as our relationship with the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation-led Partnership for Peace. Irish troops can expect to participate, on peace keeping and humanitarian duties, with these bodies, subject to Oireachtas approval. The Defence Forces learned much from the Lebanon. Our role there is at an end; our contribution as peacekeepers is not.