The Minister for Defence, Michael Smith, has asked me to convey his profound regrets that he cannot attend in person at today's Capabilities Commitments Conference. He is at present accompanying our President on official visits abroad which include visits to military personnel in SFOR and KFOR.

The statements being made today by Defence Ministers in this informal gathering signal the decisions of each of their national authorities to make commitments to the European Union's Headline Goal. The focus of the Amsterdam Treaty is to make the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy more effective, more coherent and more visible. The Headline Goal represents a significant new element in this regard and demonstrates specific progress in achieving the shape of the EU's security and defence policy. The Headline Goal has developed in the light of the provisions of the Treaty of Amsterdam and derives from the decisions taken by European Heads of State and Government at the EU Councils at Cologne, Helsinki and Feira. - The interim Military Body working under the direction of the interim Political Security Committee are to commended on the excellent work they have undertaken against a very tight time scale to provide the framework within which the member states can make offers to contribute to the Headline Goal. The Headline Goal will provide the EU with the means to undertake Petersberg tasks. The progress now being made will enable the European Union to take effective actions and to have an operational capacity for peacekeeping and crisis management operations. In acknowledging these developments it is useful to note some important features:
The conference is doing no more than achieving the Headline Goal for possible use in Petersberg tasks, as set out in the appropriate provisions of the Amsterdam Treaty. As was stated clearly at Helsinki, the achievement of the Headline Goal does not imply the creation of a European Army. The centrality of the UN and the primary role of the UN Security Council in matters of peace and security is explicitly recognised by the EU. Ireland will consider participation in EU-led crisis management operations in every instance on a case by case basis; and the sovereign decision on whether to participate in any one mission remains with each member state in accordance with its own national legislative or parliamentary requirements. Ireland, for its part, has made it clear that it will only participate in missions authorised by the UN. I am delighted to be able to formally announce the decision of the Irish Government to offer up to 850 personnel to the Headline Goal. The principal element of this commitment will be in the form of a light infantry battalion of up to 750 personnel and otherwise comprising an Army Ranger Wing Platoon, headquarters, national support and observer elements. This commitment comes from within Ireland's current commitment to the United Nations Standby Arrangements System commitment of 850. It will be important to make measured progress in the period to 2003 to refine the work undertaken to date and allow the institutional, planning and associated elements to reach the necessary level of maturity. It will also be important to enhance the link between the United Nations and the European Union with regard to promoting peace and stability. The recent Brahimi Report on the overhaul of UN peace support operations contains many points of similarity with the approach being taken by the EU on capabilities, including rapid reaction. We are encouraged by the positive reaction of the UN Secretary-General towards the development of the EU's approach on ESDP, and consider that the EU should actively assist the UN in implementing relevant aspects of the Brahimi recommendations. A further factor in the Headline Goal project is the need to achieve a coherent approach to the planning and review process. Ireland sees the Partnership for Peace Planning and Review Process - PARP - as an important element with regard to planning for Petersberg tasks.

Many countries are involved in a restructuring of their Defence Forces and the Irish Government's White Paper on Defence published last February sets out a comprehensive development strategy for the Irish Defence Forces to ensure that they are geared to face the challenges and opportunities of the evolving defence and security environment. This reshaping takes account of the developments at EU level and builds on the long tradition of participation in international peacekeeping by the Irish Defence Forces since 1958. Finally, it is important that the capabilities being announced by the member states today are fully linked into the broader objectives of EU crisis management. Ireland attaches particular importance to the civilian dimension of the EU's crisis management role. We look forward to playing an active part in the further development of this area. The military elements, which in themselves have a broad utility, should not develop separately from the broad spectrum of responses being identified and being developed for crisis management.
Finally, let me convey my gratitude to the French Presidency for achieving the outcome now obtained.