Madam, - Minister for Defence Mr Willie O'Dea is justifiably proud of the participation of the Defence Forces in EU battlegroups (Opinion & Analysis, January 2nd).
However, I do not share his enthusiasm for the "triple lock" mechanism. The requirement for UN Security Council approval before our troops can be deployed means that any one of the five permanent members of the council can veto Irish participation in a mission. Should one of the permanent members withdraw approval while an operation is ongoing, it might be necessary for the Irish contingent to leave the mission.
One of the reasons the EU found it necessary to develop a rapid deployment force was that the outdated and cumbersome decision-making processes within the UN are unsuited to dealing speedily with a rapidly developing situation. By imposing the UN element of the "triple lock" on ourselves we are reintroducing some of the disadvantages of the defective UN structure to the EU system.
I would suggest to the Minister that in the interest of adding certainty and effectiveness to our participation in the EU battlegroups we should remove the requirement for prior security council sanction and place the sole discretion for the commitment of our troops in the hands of our sovereign Government and parliament. - Yours, etc,
JOE AHERN, Hermitage Close, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.