The National Forum on Europe - Ireland and the EU Battlegroups

The National Forum on Europe - Ireland and the EU Battlegroups: "Ireland and the EU Battlegroups
The Minister for Defence, Willie O'Dea TD, told the National Forum On Europe today (Thursday 11th May 2006) that the government expects a response shortly to Ireland's application to join the Nordic Battlegroup, one of the rapid response groups being formed as part of the EU's crisis management capability. The Minister said he was fully satisfied that Ireland's participation in European Union battlegroups in no way weakened or undermined Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality. 'I have reiterated on many occasions, that our participation in peace support operations would continue to require UN authorisation. Participation in battlegroups will not diminish this requirement in any way', said the Minister. 'The triple lock of UN, Government and Dáil approval will remain in place'
The Minister said the term 'battlegroup' could be misleading . 'What is actually meant by battlegroups in this respect is a core of troops which could respond quickly to a crisis situation'. He said that these crises had been described in the Amsterdam Treaty as 'humanitarian and rescue tasks, peacekeeping tasks and tasks of combat forces in crisis management, including peacemaking.' The battlegroups were 'an emergency measure to keep people alive until the main troops arrive'. They would be able to move troops more rapidly than could the United Nations and would help to prevent massacres like those in the Balkans and in Rwanda.
However, Fianna Fail Senator, Paschal Mooney, voiced concerns about the Triple Lock. He pointed to the peacekeeping operation in Macedonia which did not have a UN Security Council mandate because China had vetoed it. That decision precluded Ireland from taking part in the peace-keepin"
http://www.forumoneurope.ie/index.asp?locID=366&docID=1010