AFRICA:These are busy times for those who work in the warren of offices that make up the UN's Department of Peacekeeping Operations. Not least for the UN's head of peacekeeping, under secretary general Jean-Marie Guéhenno.
Since his appointment in 2000, the French diplomat has seen the UN's peacekeeping operations expand to unprecedented levels. And the current tally of 100,000-plus troops, police and civilian staff serving 16 missions on three continents is set to swell yet again with the forthcoming deployment of a UN/African Union force to Darfur. The danger of overstretch, he admits, is a real concern.
"Once you include the Unamid [ hybrid force in Darfur] mission, there will be some 130,000 people employed under the UN flag. That's a huge number, that's second only to the US in terms of troops deployed in an operational situation."
While Mr Guéhenno's main priority right now is getting the hybrid force to Darfur up and running, he welcomes Ireland's expected contribution of 350 soldiers to an EU peacekeeping deployment to Chad and the Central African Republic (CAR) and applauds the choice of Maj-Gen Pat Nash, deputy chief-of-staff of the Irish Army, to lead the mission.
"Irish troops are among the most experienced peacekeepers in Europe. The Irish troops understand what peacekeeping is about because there is a long tradition in the Irish Army. That's why I'm actually quite happy to see the operational commander will be Irish because that means the EU is going to benefit from the peacekeeping experience of Ireland."
He says the perception of Ireland as independent and impartial will be an advantage to the EU mission, with its mandate to improve security, facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid and protect civilians, particularly refugees who have fled the violence in neighbouring Darfur.
"Ireland has consistently shown it supports peacekeeping for peacekeeping's sake. The success of a force depends a lot on the perception of its impartiality - the fact that it is not there for any particular agenda, but to support the peace. The mandate of the EU mission to Chad is essentially humanitarian. It's good that Ireland is part of that, because I think it will add to the legitimacy of the force and, therefore, its effectiveness."
A major concern, Guéhenno says, is how much the conflict in Darfur encroaches on its neighbours. "The border is really a line in the sand and you have continuous crossing from one country to the other. So the spillover effect on Chad has been quite significant," he explains, sitting in his office on the 37th floor of UN headquarters in New York.
That said, he sees no reason why the EU peacekeepers should not be accepted by the local population, pointing out that European troops were welcomed in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Liberia.
"I think troops, when they come to help, when they make a difference, are welcomed by the population. If the people see that the situation is improving, that they can sleep at night without risk of an attack, that they can take the road without risk of an ambush, the troops will be extremely popular."
While complimentary about the EU deployment to Chad and CAR, Guéhenno complains that European countries have been slow in offering personnel and proper equipment for the Darfur mission. The sense of urgency has only increased, he says, in the wake of last weekend's rebel attack on an African Union base which left 10 soldiers dead.
"We absolutely need mobile, well-equipped forces with close air support, and solid transport units. I think it is vital that Europe steps up to the plate on that, otherwise you're going to have a contrast between an improving situation in Chad and a deteriorating situation in Darfur. That would be totally unacceptable."
He says progress has been made in the dispute over how many African troops will eventually make up the hybrid Darfur force. "I think at this stage everybody understands that this is not the time to look at the passports of troops if it delays deployment.
"What is essential is to have a force that is militarily credible, that is politically seen to be impartial, and one that has the confidence of everybody that it is not seen to pursue any agenda but an agenda of peace for Darfur. That is the priority."