President warns Ireland must back security council

President McAleese is urging countries not to go it alone in conflict situations without the backing of the UN.

In an address to the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations in Kuala Lumpar, the President said that countries like Ireland had a duty to ensure that areas in the international arena did not fall apart.

The President insisted that while some might knock the role of the UN, Ireland had a primary role in maintaining the security council's position.

She was adamant that countries like Ireland and Malaysia should resist the assumption that 'might is right'.