Sinn Féin’s claim that the new public forum on Ireland international security policy is a “blatant attempt to undermine Irish neutrality” has been described by a Fianna Fáil MEP as “outrageous”.
Barry Andrews rejected the accusation as he defended plans for this summer’s four day forum in Cork, Galway and Dublin, to be chaired by Prof Louise Richardson, the former vice chancellor of the University of Oxford.
The Consultative Forum developed by Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs is to comprise of discussions between invited experts as well as opportunities for members of the public to contribute either in-person or online.
It will consider issues like neutrality, peace-keeping operations, Ireland’s ‘triple lock’ system for major deployments of Defence Forces personnel overseas and new threats like cyber-warfare.
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Sinn Féin’s foreign affairs spokesman Matt Carthy has criticised how the Citizens’ Assembly model is not being used for the debate and claimed that the Government wants a “handpicked group of European military experts and academics leading with a conversation to get the outcome that Fine Gael want which is an entire dismantling of neutrality.”
Speaking on RTÉ Radio’s Morning Ireland, Mr Carthy accused the Government planning to do the opposite of a Citizens’ Assembly. He said that under that model, groups of citizens gather and hear from experts before the members of the public deliberate and make recommendations.
He said that in the planned forum “they will have experts apparently listening to citizens, and then the experts will determine what their view of these matters are”.
Mr Carthy said Irish people have “consistently stated that they value our neutrality” and want to ensure it is protected.
He argued: “But there are many within government that are trying seek and on a systematic basis to undermine that neutrality.”
Mr Andrews rejected the charge that the forum is about eroding neutrality as “outrageous”.
He criticised Mr Carthy for releasing a statement that “suggested that the outcome of the consultative forum is pre-ordained”.
Mr Andrews added that in his view the Sinn Féin statement “impugns the integrity of the chair of the forum, Prof Louise Richardson, as though she was incapable of carrying out independent inquiry, as though she was ignorant of some conspiracy that was taking place”.
He rejected the suggestion that the Government was trying to undermine Ireland’s neutrality saying that instead it “wants to have an open and inclusive discussion”.
Earlier, Mr Andrews outlined how he published a paper last year calling for the end of Ireland’s ‘triple lock’ policy for deploying the Defence Forces overseas.
Under the system any major Irish deployment abroad for peacekeeping or European Union missions requires the approval of the Government and the Dáil and the backing of a United Nations resolution.
Mr Andrews said it amounts to outsourcing control of Ireland’s foreign and security policy to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) where permanent members like Russia and China have a veto.
The Dublin MEP said: “I think that has to come to an end. If, for example, we wanted to come to the aid of another EU member state that was attacked, we couldn’t do that without the veto exercised by Russia.”
Fine Gael also want to see the triple lock system scrapped, but this is not Government policy.
The Green Party has voiced support for keeping the triple lock in recent months.
Independent TD Cathal Berry, a former member of the Defence Forces, said the policy prevents Ireland deploying more than 12 troops to an overseas mission without a UN mandate.
He told Newstalk Radio’s Pat Kenny Show that it essentially means that proposals for missions have to go to the UN, the Kremlin, Beijing and “our former colonial masters in number ten Downing Street” as the UK is also a UNSC member with a veto.
Mr Berry referenced the case of 2021 evacuation of 26 Irish citizens from Afghanistan when nine members of the Army Ranger Wing were deployed to Kabul.
He said that on that occasion “The feeling was that we couldn’t have more than 12 without UN authorisation.
“And [if] you went to the UN in New York looking for authorisation to try and send more than 12 troops to evacuate some European citizens, I mean, it you’d be just laughed at, it’s an irrelevance over there.
“So I would be in favour of Ireland maintaining sovereign control [over such deployments].”
