Kenny Visit To Irish Golan heights Troops
NEWS FROM THE CELTIC LEAGUE
The Xmas visit by Taoiseach, Enda Kenny, and Irelands Defence Minister, Simon Coveney, to Irish peacekeepers deployed as part of the United Nations force on the Golan Heights, between Syria and Israel underlines Ireland?s contribution to world peace
Here?s a link to the background to the visit and the deployment (with video) at the Irish Independent:
Ireland has been a staunch contributor to UN peacekeeping for well over fifty years since in first sent troops in the Congo. Its forces have a reputation for fairness and professionalism in discharging their role.
However that reputation has not come without a cost and almost 90 personnel have died during operations from Lebanon to Somalia and the Congo to East Timor.
The Celtic League has been a long time supporter of the neutral peacekeeping role and reputation that Irish Defence Forces have.
We have over the years protested the murder of Irish peacekeepers most particularly during the 1980s by proxy militias of the Israel Defence Forces in South Lebanon, that deployment from 1978-2001 as part of UNIFIL was one of the most intensive.
Recently in an echo of the that bloody conflict a former SLA man went on trial in Ireland charged with murders allegedly committed in 1980 (see link):
As Director of Information I paid a visit to the Irish United Nations Veterans House and Memorial Garden just off the 1916 Memorial area at Arbour Hill in Dublin on the morning April 12th 2015 following our AGM in Dublin earlier this year. The site is a small but poignant reminder of the contribution a small Nation makes to world peace and the human cost of that contribution
BERNARD MOFFATT
Issued by: The Celtic News
26/12/15
THE CELTIC LEAGUE INFORMATION SERVICE
The Celtic League established in 1961 has branches in the six Celtic Countries. It promotes cooperation between the countries and campaigns on a range of political, cultural and environmental matters. It highlights human rights abuse, military activity and socio-economic issues
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