Government Stance 'Legally & Morally Redundant' - says Sargent

Thursday March 20, 2003 16:19

by Graham Caswell - Green Party

Press elease

Green Party Leader, Trevor Sargent TD, speaking in the Dáil against the Government Iraq motion today said that the Coalition's position was morally and legally redundant in continuing to facilitate the US military use Shannon.

Mr. Sargent said that as a neutral country like Austria or Sweden, cooperation with a belligerent country would be in breach of international law and the Hague Convention. "As a member of the UN the Irish Government's action contravenes the UN Charter."

Deputy Sargent said that Taoiseach Bertie Ahern's stance was a fraud with complete disregard for the honourable tradition of neutrality espoused by Eamon de Valera and Frank Aiken.

He said that it was important to highlight that even New York city council, which had been devastated by September 11, had voted against this war. "Significant numbers of e-mails are being received by my office from people who work in US companies in Ireland. They are angry that they are being used as justification for the continued use of the facilities at Shannon by the US military."

Mr. Sargent has challenged the Taoiseach to produce the Attorney General's legal opinion on the Irish Government's support for the US military's continued use of Shannon. We have heard plenty of the Government's political rhetoric on the continued use of Shannon but no sound legal opinion.

Mr. Sargent called on the Taoiseach to support the call by US Green campaigner and former Presidential candidate, Ralph Nader, to get agreement from President Bush that anti-personnel weaponry such as cluster bombs and landmines would not be used. "Civilians will be more affected by these weapons than combatants. They will affect not only Iraqis but US citizens. They will affect Michael Bermingham, an Irishman, who is still in Baghdad. Will the Taoiseach make use of the sacrifice that Michael Bermingham is making in risking his own life to make the argument to the US administration and impress on it that war will kill innocent people from different countries?"