Ireland votes to end UN veto over overseas peacekeeping missions
Ireland's lower house of parliament voted 79 to 71 to scrap the requirement for UN approval before Irish troops are sent on peacekeeping missions abroad. The opposition warns the move threatens the country's military neutrality.
The Dáil, the lower house of Ireland's parliament, voted 79 to 71 on Wednesday in favour of controversial legislation removing a mechanism that bars Irish military peacekeepers from being deployed overseas without approval from the United Nations. The decision matters because Ireland is not a NATO member and has traditionally held to military neutrality, which opposition parties say the change puts at risk.
What will change
Ireland's defence forces number just over 8,000 personnel and have long taken part in international peacekeeping operations. At present, three steps, known as the "triple lock", must be completed before more than 12 members can be sent on a mission abroad: approval from the government, approval from parliament, and UN authorisation. The third step is now set to be scrapped.
The bill would also raise the number of soldiers who can be deployed without parliamentary approval from 12 to 50.
The government's case
The government argues that Ireland should be able to respond to crises without waiting for a decision from the UN Security Council. Dublin has become increasingly concerned about the effective veto held by the council's five permanent members: China, France, Russia, Britain and the United States. Taoiseach (prime minister) Micheál Martin told parliament the Security Council is no longer functional and is paralysed. He said the change is meant to preserve Ireland's peacekeeping tradition rather than undermine its neutrality.
Opposition objections
Opposition parties regard the triple lock as one of the foundations of Irish military neutrality. Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald accused the government of dismantling vital safeguards and opening the door to closer military alignment with NATO. She demanded a referendum on the changes and warned that proceeding without public consent would be a "profound betrayal".
