Paddy's Day Boycott - Joe sez Yes - Bertie sez no -

national | miscellaneous | news report Wednesday March 12, 2003 13:04 by little ppl

From the Dail Yesterday

Does the Taoiseach realise that if according to schedule he will present himself before President Bush on the White House lawn the day after tomorrow and politely present him with a bowl of shamrock, an emblem of the Irish people and make polite conversation with the President, this will be seen as solace and support for that President's war plans? It will be interpreted as such among the millions in the Arab world and among people who do not want to see this bloody adventure launched. Is the Taoiseach aware that if he does that, it will make a majority of our people deeply ashamed?

Mr. J. Higgins: In relation to Iraq, the Taoiseach writing in the Irish Independent on 1 February said: " At a time of international crisis, it is the duty of Government to lead from the front."Since then, on the issue of Iraq the Taoiseach has not been so much sitting on the fence as encased in concrete upon it. We know that the Taoiseach likes to sit on the fence winking at both sides of the argument simultaneously. I am afraid that on this occasion it has left his two eyes shut to the appalling reality that is about to unfold in our world. It is quite clear that the United States intends to launch a bloody invasion of Iraq within weeks to secure the Iraqi oil fields for its economy and to extend imperialist control over the region.

I ask the Taoiseach if he is aware that a huge majority of the Irish people are revolted by that and are deeply opposed to his Government continuing to be complicit in the US war machine build-up in the Middle East through giving them the use of Shannon Airport? Does the Taoiseach realise that if according to schedule he will present himself before President Bush on the White House lawn the day after tomorrow and politely present him with a bowl of shamrock, an emblem of the Irish people and make polite conversation with the President, this will be seen as solace and support for that President's war plans? It will be interpreted as such among the millions in the Arab world and among people who do not want to see this bloody adventure launched. Is the Taoiseach aware that if he does that, it will make a majority of our people deeply ashamed?

I ask if instead the Taoiseach will stand up and send a message to the world that this country is absolutely opposed to the bloody adventure that is about to unfold at the expense of the Iraqi people, by boycotting the visit to President Bush and at least - as I have asked him before - leave the shamrock at home? He could instead bring a branch of fuschia because at least the bright red flowers will signify the blood of innocent thousands of people that the man receiving the shamrock is about to spill.

The Taoiseach: The Government is deeply concerned at the recent developments which are changing by the day. Our goal remains the goal of the United Nations which is the disarming of the Iraqi regime by peaceful means if at all possible. That is the unanimous determination of the Security Council in Resolution 1441 on 8 November. Ireland helped to fashion that resolution. Regrettably, as Deputy Higgins has said, efforts to implement this resolution have led to tensions, including within the Security Council. We see Permanent Members of the Council working in direct opposition to each other every day.

This is a cause of considerable regret to countries such as Ireland who look to the United Nations to serve the interests of all mankind by being a legitimate guarantor of international peace and security. Over the years we have looked to the United Nations for a collective foreign security policy. For the United Nations to be effective and respected, it must be united in purpose as well as in name. The brutal regime in Iraq poses precisely the kind of threat to international peace and security that the United Nations was created to deal with. That has always been this country's view. The ways and means were set out in the Charter in a logical sequence and they are up to and including the use of military force as a matter of last resort. The peoples of the United Nations in whose name the Charter is adopted are looking to the members of the Security Council to work together at this time on behalf of all members to restore unity in the Council and to secure the implementation of the resolutions by whatever means they deem to be appropriate and necessary. If the Security Council can prevail without the need for further death and suffering, so much the better and that is what we would like to see happen.

I agree with Deputy Higgins that is what the vast majority of Irish people would like to see. Peaceful methods are always the preferred option and should be fully explored.

Even at this late hour, the Minister for Foreign Affairs has been on the phone for the past 24 hours and over the weekend, talking to foreign Ministers and others to see what can be achieved. There must be an effort to try to force Saddam Hussein to take the opportunity to comply with the demands of the world as laid out in Resolution 1441 and 16 other resolutions. Only a Security Council that can demonstrate strength through unity is likely to persuade him to do so.

In regard to the day after tomorrow, I will be at the White House. I respect the United States and its President. I respect what it stands for in the free world. I appreciate what it has done for this country. I appreciate its friendship and that of the United Kingdom. I differ on this issue. I will set out my point of view and stand with the United Nations, as I have done since I met Kofi Annan and made my first statement on the issue in Johannesburg on 4 September. I will not insult the United States.

Mr. J. Higgins: Does the Taoiseach realise that this is not a matter of polite debate between leaders? It is a matter of the blood of thousands of people being shed by the man he is visiting in pursuit of his country's economic interests. When did the Taoiseach realise Saddam Hussein was a bloody dictator? Surely it was not in November 1988 when the Minister, Deputy Brennan, was working out deals with his henchmen in Baghdad, months after the massacre and chemical weapons attack on thousands of innocent victims in Halabjah When did the Taoiseach realise, like the rest of us, that this was an evil dictatorship?Does he realise that at this moment United States generals are all set and everything is prepared to launch a murderous assault with the greatest numbers of missiles in the shortest period in history on the heads of the Iraqi people, which will mean thousands of casualties?

An Ceann Comhairle: The Deputy's minute has concluded.

Mr. J. Higgins: On foot of an illegal doctrine of pre-emption, is the moral void at the heart of the Government, including the Taoiseach's heart, so great that he does not realise the extent of what is planned and he cannot muster up the conviction to say to Mr. Bush and Mr. Blair that the war is not justified?

The Taoiseach: If I could muster up the energy to convince Saddam Hussein to seize the opportunity open to him and comply with the demands of the world and the Security Council, we would not have to do anymore and everyone could go home. Unfortunately, as he has resisted all these motions for 12 years, he is unlikely to listen to me. I still believe that the members of the Security Council face a historic responsibility. Failure could pose a mortal danger to the United Nations. It would send a message of encouragement to every corrupt regime and fanatical terrorist group around the world----

Mr. J. Higgins: They armed him.

The Taoiseach: ----to acquire weapons of mass destruction and threaten the peace and security of the world.

Mr. J. Higgins: The Taoiseach should not insult our intelligence.

The Taoiseach: The Government's view is that in the coming days the Security Council has a duty to reach agreement on how it intends to implement its decisions on Iraq. We will continue to support the Security Council in its efforts.