The Government was accused of being like an ostrich with its head in the sand during a debate on the crisis in Kosovo.

Fine Gael's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell, said the Government's policy on security and defence issues was not one of a neutral State but a "neutered" one. "We pretend these things do not happen and we do not contribute to their solution," he said.

However, the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, rejected the accusation and said that Ireland had 40 years of peacekeeping by Irish troops and had "not been standing idly by in the way the deputy suggested".

Mr Mitchell had asked the Minister if any facility had been requested for over-flights or refuelling or landing, and accused the Minister of refusing to answer questions.

"Does the Minister agree that not only are we an ostrich but a neutered ostrich and are not taking our responsibilities seriously in these matters? Srebrenica can happen a dozen times over but this country will sit on its hands and have no thought-out policy."

Mr Smith, standing in for the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, who is in Berlin, said that Serb aggression against the Kosovo Albanian population must not be allowed to continue. The major priority was to prevent this aggression and to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in the region. Since the weekend there had been a new flow of refugees and displaced people and the prospect of such a humanitarian catastrophe.

He pointed out that as far as the crisis in the Serbian province was concerned, "there are matters which are totally outside our control. We work within the United Nations and have sought to get agreement."

He said it must be remembered that "in Bosnia it was the threat of this type of force which brought about the agreement". The hope now was that the "threat of force will ensure this agreement and the verifying mission are put in place and that the people who will help to protect and secure a peaceful arrangement among the divided people are brought in. That is the hope. I cannot say any more."

Labour's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, asked if the Government believed that a bombing by NATO was within international law. He also asked if the Government was pressing for a deferral of the threatened bombing and what the Government's view was.

"I cannot answer for the Government in this context because it is an ongoing crisis but it is my view that everybody should exhaust the time available to ensure the bombing does not take place," Mr Smith said.

Mr John Gormley (Green, Dublin South-East) said the Minister had stated that the Government supported the independence of Kosovo. "Is he further aware that this position is at variance with NATO and EU member-states, which simply support political autonomy? Will he again state that the Government supports independence for Kosovo?"

He also asked about the possible deployment of Irish troops in Kosovo.

Mr Smith said that the only way Irish troops would be deployed in Kosovo was "on the basis of the verification mission proposed and which has so far been rejected".