Minister to visit peacekeepers in Balkans

Minister for Defence Michael Smith is today beginning a three-day trip to the Balkans to visit troops on peacekeeping missions.

Mr Smith was being joined by Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Colm Mangan, on the three-day tour, which was to include visits to Bosnia-Herzegovina and Kosovo, the Department of Defence said.

The Department’s Secretary General, David O’Callaghan, was accompanying the pair while visiting the Nato-led, UN-mandated stabilisation force in Bosnia-Herzegovina (Sfor) and the Kosovo enforcement force (Kfor).

The delegation was due to arrive in Sarajevo where they were meeting 60 Irish members of the 10th military police company based in Camp Butmir, in the headquarters of Sfor.

Tomorrow, the squadron will be replaced by the 11th Military Police, which will be the final Irish military company to serve with Sfor.

During his time in Sarajevo Mr Smith was meeting Sfor Commander Lieutenant General John Sylvester, the High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, Paddy Ashdown and the head of the European monitoring mission, Ambassador Antoin Mac Unfraidh.

On the final day of the visit, Wednesday, Mr Smith will travel to Pristina in Kosovo and meet 112 members of the Irish Transport Company based in Camp Clarke.

He was meeting the Commander of Kfor, Lieutenant General Marcel Valentin and the special representative of the Secretary General of the UN Michael Steiner.

Although Ireland is neutral on military matters, the Defence Forces are involved in UN peacekeeping operations around the world.

Around 45 troops are stationed in East Timor which gained independence from Indonesia in May following many years of bloody struggle.

Another 220 troops are based in the African state of Eritrea and a handful of soldiers are serving on humanitarian missions in Afghanistan.

Last November, Irish soldiers left Lebanon after a 23-year mission during some of the most bitter years of feuding in the region.

Some 46 Irish soldiers lost their lives in military action or accidents during the period.

Mr Smith is due to return to Dublin on Thursday.