Remarks at a meeting with Local Dignitaries and Others
Camp Shamrock, Tibnin, Lebanon, 15th October 2011
As Salaam aleikumu – Sabaa’ al-Khair. [Peace be with you (all). Good morning].
Distinguished guests, friends of Ireland, Irish personnel working with UNIFIL
Céad míle fáilte – in the Irish language one hundred thousand welcomes to you. It is a great pleasure for me to be back in Tibnin and to have this opportunity, if only a very brief one, to meet you all today. I am honoured by your presence.
My first visit to Tibnin was 14 years ago in 1997, just weeks after I became President of Ireland. I came then, as I return today on my very last visit abroad as President, to pay tribute to the Irish Battalion of peacekeepers and the other Irish serving with UNIFIL, who have made such a vital contribution to the success of the UNIFIL mission, to the restoration of peace in your land and to the protection of the people of this area.
Over the 23 years in which Irish peacekeepers have been serving in the Tibnin area,
I know that they have worked closely with local leaders, like many of you here today, and with the local communities and that close ties of co-operation and friendship have been created. On my previous visit, I could see for myself the warmth of these relationships - and I noticed that many of the local people whom I met here were speaking English with Irish accents. I was particularly touched when I visited Tibnin orphanage and heard stories of the support and protection which Irish Batt peacekeepers had extended over many years to these children, some of the most vulnerable members of the local community. And I’m looking forward to returning to the Orphanage this afternoon to meet the staff and children there, including one girl who greeted me 14 years ago when
I visited, and who has since gone on to graduate from university. A heartwarming success story and one of inspiration to others. Another feature of the Irish and Lebanese getting to know each other better is that quite a number of Irish-Lebanese marriages and families have resulted from the long Irish presence, evidence if it was needed of the ties between our two countries and peoples. I well remember the fantastic welcome I received from the local community, the welcome reserved for old and trusted friends. It is a memory I have never forgotten, especially the welcome I received from the local women.
The Irish peacekeepers have now returned to Tibnin and those old bonds of friendship are being re-established. They are needed for these are difficult and dangerous times for UNIFIL. There have been attacks on UNIFIL convoys, serious injuries to some personnel so if UNIFIL’s mission is to be successful it is absolutely essential that there is good
co-operation and communication between the troops and local people. In particular the Irish Battalion welcomes the channels of dialogue with local leaders and representatives for we know that these are absolutely essential to the effectiveness of the Irish Battalion's mission and to the stability and safety of this area and its people. This mission is about people, about their freedom, their security, their peace of mind and their ability to flourish in their own land.
The members of Irish Batt know you well and you know them. They know of your courage, humanity and resilience despite great hardships. I have been astounded by the remarkable local reconstruction and development which has taken place since my last visit and by the evidence all around of enterprise and growing prosperity.
I wish for you what the people of Ireland wish for you and what our Irish peacekeepers wish for you, a stable, long-lasting peace in which to enjoy the fruits of your labour so that the children of this beautiful region may know a time of only peace and prosperity.
Shukran-RAN jazeelan – Thank You.