DOCHAS, the association of development aid agencies, says Ireland should stay out of any European defence links to the Western European Union, Nato, or Nato's Partnership for Peace (PFP).
The Government should focus on preventive diplomacy and restrictions on European arms sales during the Irish EU Presigency, it says.
In its first response to the White Paper on foreign policy recently published by the Government, Dochas also says EU policies on trade, agriculture, food aid and structural adjustment should not jeopardise food security in southern countries.
The White Paper raised membership of the Nato sponsored Partnership for Peace programme (PFP) as an option, subject to Oireachtas approval, a proposal vehemently opposed by Fianna Fail.
Dochas, which represents most of the main non governmental development organisations (NGOs) apart from GOAL, calls for coherence in EU trade and development aid during the Irish presidency.
One practical step would be to examine the role of the European Commission, it says. For example, when subsidised European beef exports were undermining local production in west Africa in the early 1990s, it was left to NGOs to highlight the inconsistency. EU aid had been supporting the local producers simultaneously.
Europe's role in the international promotion and sale of arms is "seriously undermining" its credibility in promoting development, Dochas says. The Irish presidency provides an opportunity for this State, as one of the countries most active in promoting controls on arms, to make these restrictions more effective at European level, it says.
It believes Europe should adopt an approach to security which emphasises preventive diplomacy, which involves women at this senior level, and which includes more resources for preventive measures, including development co operation.
Dochas wants the Government to initiate co-operation with, other neutral European countries' to strengthen the United Nations and the international rule of law, and to promote the interests of southern countries.
It says it supports the initiative of the European Parliament, and believes that it, together with national parliaments and civil Society should have more control over the emerging EU Common Foreign and Security Policy. The European Parliament's powers must not be extended to military matters, however, as this would compromise the position of neutral states, it says.
On gender, the Dochas paper supports the Government's commitment to integrate a gender dimension into all measures adopted by the EU Development Council in November, and calls for the issue of gender and emergences to be discussed at that meeting.
It says food importing countries should be compensated for increases in world food prices arising from trade agreements to which the EU is party.
The UN Development Report, published this week, showed the cost to African countries of the Uruguay Round of GATT. The trade talks will produce $200 billion annually in global benefits, but at a cost to Africa of $8 million annually in lost exports.
On its own responsibilities, the Dochas paper urges its own member organisations not to forget that implementation of commitments made at the 1995 UN world women's conference begins at home. Contrary to popular image, NGOs often fall behind governments on specific policies relating to gender and development, it admits.
