Cabinet row over bid to extend UN peace-keeping mission

PLANS to extend an Irish peace-keeping mission in the Middle East almost caused war in Government after it emerged the Cabinet only met to decide whether to sanction the move the day the troops flew out.

Even more embarrassing for the coalition, a photograph of the group of officers picked to oversee the mission appeared in an evening newspaper a week earlier during a visit to the President and Minister for Defence at Áras an Uachtaráin.

The Government had been requested by the United Nations to extend the service of Irish troops working with the UN Emergency Force in the Middle East (UNEF) and to increase the numbers deployed there.