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Position of Irish Government on Iraqi crisis

category national | miscellaneous | news report author Thursday March 20, 2003 17:29author by Bertie

The following statement made on 20 March 2003, represents the position of the government on this issue:

The following statement made on 20 March 2003, represents the position of the government on this issue:

"The provision of facilities does not make Ireland a member of a military coalition. Nor does anybody regard us as such. We remain militarily neutral. The decision we have taken on this issue is our own.

Ireland has made overflight and landing acilities available to the US for the last fifty years. This period covers many crises and military
confrontations, which involved the US taking military action without specific UN endorsement - Kosovo, being the most significant. We did not withdraw or suspend those facilities at any stage during that period

There is no reason to act differently towards the United States now than we did during previous conflicts.

No other country is known to be contemplating the withdrawal of existing facilities from the US. This includes Germany and France, who have been the strongest opponents of US intentions on the Security Council. It also includes a number of Arab countries who have taken a strong position against war.

These countries would not accept that, by maintaining overflight or landing facilities to the US, they are endorsing or participating in the US military action."

Related Link: http://www.irlgov.ie/oireachtas

Comments (4 of 4)

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Well Bertie, you're wrong :-)
author by Eoin Dubsky - Refueling Peacepublication date Thu Mar 20, 2003 17:39author address author phone

See http://www.indymedia.ie/cgi-bin/newswire.cgi?id=35935
"Dispelling the Government's myths about Shannon Airport"

Liar
author by Sheltapublication date Thu Mar 20, 2003 17:44author address author phone

Ahern: a while ago you said that a new UN resolution was 'imperative'. You, and the comprador/gombeen class you represent, have integrated Ireland, North and South, so completely into the Anglo-American economic and political empire, that you are incapable of independent action, and you are unable to act in the interests of the Irish people.

blood money
author by Jim Costellopublication date Thu Mar 20, 2003 17:58author address author phone

The blood money made by the Irish capitalists at the Shannon warport is subsidizing pro-war propaganda by Niall O'Dowd, Smurfit's boy in New York and publisher of the 'Irish Voice'.

Not Surprising
author by Despublication date Thu Mar 20, 2003 23:32author address author phone

The world’s only remaining and most rapacious superpower has embarked on an aggressive war for cheap oil. In the last decade, over a million Iraqis have died thanks to sanctions and air raids, now Bush and Blair are about to add to that figure. Our eminently principled “government” are not of course participating in the war; Ahern and Harney are merely facilitating it. Morality is a term that F.F. and their junior partner would be overly familiar with, but their Iraqi policy is simply obscene. Of course it is not a major surprise, their predecessors “facilitated” U.S. imperialism during the Vietnam war.

http://www.indymedia.ie/article/36120

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