UN the best hope for world peace, says O’Dea

THE United Nations is still the best hope for world peace, Defence Minister Willie O’Dea said yesterday, at a ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of Ireland’s UN membership.

At a parade in Dublin’s McKee Barracks, Mr O’Dea said Ireland’s support for the world body had been unwavering over the last 50 years, and was still at the heart of the State’s foreign policy.

While the minister said he would like to see a speeding-up of the decision-making process to allow quicker intervention, he backed recent moves to regionalise UN operations to enable a faster response in crisis situations.