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KFOR Mission and Objectives

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  • KFOR Mission and Objectives

    Had someone higher up tell me that Irish troops are Illegally in Kosovo and that the Minister for Defence will be making a statement to the Dail about such. Anyone confirm?
    "The Question is not: how far you will take this? The Question is do you possess the constitution to go as far as is needed?"

  • #2
    On what grounds is it illegal?

    Comment


    • #3
      It was in the Irish Examiner on 13 June - "Irish troops in Kosovo "may be illegal""

      But then again the political correspondant, mentions the Minister is visiting the 1000 Irish troops based in Kosovo.

      Strictly speaking he could be right - the Defence Act refers to "international United Nations force", the Security Council resolution:

      Decides on the deployment in Kosovo, under United Nations auspices, of international civil and security presences, with appropriate equipment and personnel as required, and welcomes the agreement of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to such presences;

      Requests the Secretary-General to appoint, in consultation with the Security Council, a Special Representative to control the implementation of the international civil presence, and further requests the Secretary-General to instruct his Special Representative to coordinate closely with the international security presence to ensure that both presences operate towards the same goals and in a mutually supportive manner;

      Authorizes Member States and relevant international organizations to establish the international security presence in Kosovo as set out in point 4 of annex 2 with all necessary means to fulfil its responsibilities under paragraph 9 below;

      Deployment in Kosovo under United Nations auspices of effective international civil and security presences, acting as may be decided under Chapter VII of the Charter, capable of guaranteeing the achievement of common objectives.

      The international security presence with substantial North Atlantic Treaty Organization participation must be deployed under unified command and control and authorized to establish a safe environment for all people in Kosovo and to facilitate the safe return to their homes of all displaced persons and refugees.
      It would be up to the courts to decide.
      Last edited by DeV; 17 June 2006, 14:51.

      Comment


      • #4


        Minister O’Dea Responds to Deputy Costello's Erroneous Statement


        The assertions made in Deputy Costello’s press statement are unsustainable. The Minister for Defence, Willie O’Dea, T.D. has answered this erroneous point on a number of occasions. Put simply, the consistent advice of the Attorney General has been, and remains, that the existing legislation allows participation in all of the peacekeeping missions in which the Defence Forces currently serve. Nothing in the draft legislation published today changes this position.

        The Minister has informed both the House and the Labour Party Defence Spokesperson on a number of occasions that Ireland participates in missions either “established” or “authorised” by the UN Security Council. Since January 1996, the consistent advice of the Attorney General has been, and is, that missions established or authorised by the UN Security Council fall within the requirements of the existing Defence Acts.

        This was the advice of then Attorney General and it has not changed over the years.

        While Deputy Costello is not obliged to agree with the Minister or the Government on this point, he is not entitled to question the integrity of others simply because their professional legal advice differs from his own personal view.

        Comment


        • #5
          While Deputy Costello is not obliged to agree with the Minister or the Government on this point, he is not entitled to question the integrity of others simply because their professional legal advice differs from his own personal view.
          I may not be a fan of the present government but for goodness sake this ass and his ilk would have us bury our heads in the sand and do nothing. Oh the ass being deputy Costello.
          Its a victimless crime, like punching someone in the dark.

          Comment


          • #6
            Maybe they should amend the Defence Act to include NATO?
            "Everyone's for a free Tibet, but no one's for freeing Tibet." -Mark Steyn. What an IMO-centric quote, eh?

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            • #7
              KFOR Mission and Objectives

              KFOR Mission and Objectives (Not exactly the mandate)

              In accordance with UNSCR 1244, the mission of KFOR is to:

              Establish and maintain a secure environment in Kosovo, including public safety and order.
              KFOR has the mandate to enforce law and order until the UN Mission in Kosovo can fully assume this responsibility. This is achieved by patrols, air surveillance, checkpoints, response to emergency calls, search operations, border control, investigation of criminal activities and arrest or detention of suspected criminals.

              After just three months spent in Kosovo, KFOR troops have arrested hundreds of suspected criminals, confiscated quantities of weapons and ammunition, and restored the overall security and stability of the province. KFOR presence has allowed more than 775,000 refugees and displaced people to come back in Kosovo and feel secure again. A constant drop in the rate of murder, arson and looting confirms that a return to normal life is not far ahead. Special attention is now paid to the protection of minorities, who are often the victims of ethnic tensions and hatred.

              Monitor, verify and when necessary, enforce compliance with the conditions of the Military Technical Agreement and the UCK Undertaking
              KFOR is actively involved in the demilitarisation of Kosovo. With the arrival of KFOR, military and police forces from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia completed their withdrawal and met the final timelines of the Military Technical Agreement. Also KLA forces have been compliant with the terms of the Undertaking of Demilitarisation and Transformation. This Undertaking is a voluntary commitment for immediate cessation of hostilities and for a step-by-step demilitarisation of the KLA, which was completed on 20 September 1999.

              Already tons of weapons and ammunition have been seized or handed to KFOR. This includes thousands of pistols and rifles, hand grenades, anti-personnel mines, rocket launchers, artillery pieces, mortar bombs, rifle bombs, anti-tank mines, fuses, explosives, and even anti-tank rockets and missiles. The KLA has been disbanded and all KLA weapons have been stored in secure weapons storage sites under the control of KFOR. The transformation of the former KLA is underway through resettlement programs, the creation of the Kosovo Police Service and the stand-up of the Kosovo Protection Corps, which will be an unarmed civil relief organisation involved in the rebuilding of Kosovo’s infrastructure.

              Provide assistance to the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), including core civil functions until they are transferred to UNMIK.
              KFOR and UNMIK are Partners in an international effort to restore Kosovo and help the local population to transform the province into a free and democratic society open to all. Although KFOR’s main responsibility is to create a secure environment, the multinational force provides resources, skills and manpower to various organisations and agencies working under the UNMIK umbrella.

              Examples of KFOR involvement can be found in a variety of sectors such as: public works and utilities, construction, transportation, railway operations, mine clearance, border security, fire services, protection of international workers, food distribution, removal of unexploded ordnance, mine-awareness education, medical services, etc.

              As it is a Nato led mission there is no need for the standardising of head dress as in UN led missions.
              Facts are meaningless - you could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!

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              • #8
                KFOR is not under UN command (altough it is UN mandated) it is under NATO command, hence the use of national headress and not UN blue berets.

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                • #9
                  East Timor is the same isint it?
                  Facts are meaningless - you could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Originally posted by AATWT
                    No, East Timor was a UN mission for the Irish.
                    In East Timor the DF was initially part of a initially UN-mandated, Australian-led (similar to Kosovo, Afghanistan etc) force called INTERFET. This was later was replaced by a blue-helmeted force called UNTAET, with which Irish personnel continued to serve.

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