Madam, - Twenty years ago, during the debate on the referendum on the Single European Act, a leading proponent of the "No" position asserted that, if Ireland voted "Yes", young Irishmen would be conscripted into a European Army and, under the command of some foreigner, would be parachuted into Chad (then in the throes of a civil war) in pursuit of the European Community's aggressive purposes.
Today, as we face into the debate on the Reform Treaty, the Oireachtas has sanctioned the deployment in Chad (now suffering the fall-out of the Darfur crisis) of non-conscript Irish soldiers in a UN-mandated EU operation, under the command of an Irish general, with the task of protecting refugees and displaced persons and supporting humanitarian work by Irish and other NGOs.
It is to be hoped that the forthcoming debate will be based on fact rather than fantasy. - Yours, etc,
TONY BROWN,
Bettyglen,
Raheny,
Dublin 5.