In the complex, long-running war the real peacekeeper’s weapon can be an understanding of human nature and some good communication skills

SENDING in troops to protect refugees and aid agencies at the very heart of a humanitarian crisis may seem like an obvious move, but for Ireland and Europe it has been a very controversial one.

THE refugee camp of D’jabal is a rough 20-minute ride away from Camp Ciara.

THE sign reads Chad International Airport, but there is just a handful of airplanes are parked on the sandy, red runway — and certainly no duty-free.

BOTH the UN and Javier Solana, the EU’s foreign policy chief, have defended the actions of Irish troops in Chad when armed groups tried to attack refugee camps and NGO compounds at the weekend.

THE Government is expected to opt out of a whole raft of immigration policy designed to encourage legal migration into Europe while strengthening borders against illegals.

FISHERMEN whose livelihoods are threatened because of the big jump in fuel prices are to be thrown a lifeline by the European Commission.

TAX reductions and other measures to help the poor and those hardest pressed by rising oil prices, including the fisheries and transport sectors, are to be proposed by the European Commission.

IN TEMPERATURES of up to 55°C and in one of the most dangerous parts of the world, members of the Irish army were among the first to vote in the Lisbon treaty referendum.

EUROPEAN Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso described as absurd allegations that he was trying to force the Irish electorate to vote for the Lisbon Treaty.