Irish parliament approves scrapping UN requirement for missions — France 24

Ireland’s lower house of parliament, the Dáil, on Wednesday backed a bill providing for the removal of the requirement for United Nations approval to deploy Irish military peacekeepers abroad. The document was supported by 79 lawmakers, while 71 voted against it, France 24 reports.

Currently, the deployment of more than 12 members of the Irish Defence Forces outside the country is governed by the so-called triple lock mechanism. It requires approval from the government, parliament and the UN. The bill retains the need for government and parliamentary approval but removes the requirement for UN authorization.

Government arguments

The Irish government says the country must be able to respond to crises without waiting for a decision by the UN Security Council. Prime Minister Micheál Martin told parliament that the UN Security Council no longer functions and is paralysed.

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According to Martin, the change is intended to preserve Ireland’s tradition of participating in peacekeeping operations rather than weaken the country’s military neutrality. Ireland is not a member of NATO, and its Defence Forces number just over 8,000 personnel.

Opposition objections

The bill also provides for increasing from 12 to 50 the number of military personnel who may be deployed abroad without separate parliamentary approval. Opposition parties consider the triple lock to be one of the foundations of Ireland’s military neutrality.

Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald said abolishing the mechanism could bring the country closer to the military structures of the European Union and NATO. She called for a referendum on the changes and described making the decision without public consent as a profound betrayal.