[Irish] Govt pledges action if US lied about Shannon

["David Farber" <dave () farber net>]

---------------------------- Original Message ----------------------------
Subject: [Irish] Govt pledges action if US lied about Shannon
From:    "Alice Kehoe" <akehoe () zen org>
Date:    Fri, December 23, 2005 4:38 pm
To:      dave () farber net
Cc:      "brendan & elana" <brendan () zen org>
         "derry & deborah" <derry () zen org>
         "katherine" <kgy () cybermesa com>
         "lois & terry" <authors () zen org>
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Alice K. :)


Ireland Online News:
http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=10881484&p=yx88y53x&n=10881572


*Govt pledges action if US lied about Shannon*
/23/12/2005 - 14:46:34/

The Government today insisted they would take all necessary action if it 
emerged that US security agencies were carrying prisoners through Ireland.

With the Irish Human Rights Commission calling for inspectors to check 
CIA aircraft, officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs claimed 
they had clear and explicit assurances that no laws were being broken.

They insisted they had not permitted so-called extraordinary renditions.

"It has also been made clear that the appropriate authorities will act  if
there is specific and credible information regarding particular  aircraft
of the type in question," it stated.

"Once again, however, the Government recalls that it has, on numerous 
occasions, received explicit, unambiguous and unqualified assurances  from
the US authorities that no prisoners have been transported through  Irish
airports, nor would they be, without the express permission of the 
Government.

"These assurances have recently been reiterated at a very high level."

The IRHC urged the Government to urgently seek an agreement with US 
authorities to allow inspections of aircraft suspected of involvement in 
so-called extraordinary renditions.

In a statement the Department said they would study the recommendations.

But anti-war activists demanded the Government go further and bring in a 
blanket ban on CIA and American war planes at Irish airports.

Ed Horgan, retired army commandant and peace campaigner, said: "We 
welcome, belatedly, the pressure. But I would go further than that - all 
US military aircraft should be banned.

"I believe it is very likely that prisoners were transported through 
Shannon at some stage in the past and CIA planes were being used in the 
process of taking prisoners to be tortured.

"The CIA should be banned from going through for past offences."

Mr Horgan, who was arrested and detained at Shannon yesterday as he 
travelled to England, said he was very concerned about reports that  2,000
unnamed and undocumented prisoners had been moved out of Europe in  the
last few weeks.

Dr Maurice Manning, IHRC president, said Irish officials had an
obligation to prevent actions on our soil which could facilitate torture.

"In the Commission's view, and in light of Ireland's international legal 
obligations in this field, reliance on diplomatic assurances is not 
sufficient to protect against the risk of torture and other forms of 
ill-treatment," Dr Manning said.

"Given the fact that the obligation on the state to protect against all 
forms of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment is an absolute one,  and
given the gravity of the allegations that have been made to date and 
which are under active investigation by the Council of Europe, it is not 
sufficient for the Government to rely on such assurances."

Under domestic and international law Ireland is obliged to ensure 
prisoners do not travel through the state en route to countries where 
they may be tortured.

Dermot Ahern, Foreign Affairs Minister, pressed US secretary of state 
Condoleeza Rice on the matter in Washington earlier this month.

She insisted prisoners where not being transported through Shannon.

Richard Boyd Barrett, Irish Anti-War Movement spokesman, welcomed the 
recommendation but insisted US aircraft should no longer have free run  of
Shannon.

"The report makes it clear that it is not acceptable to turn a blind eye 
to the fact that Shannon may have been used to facilitate torture," he
said.

"It looks fairly clear that the US is involved in organising a very 
elaborate systems of kidnap and torture. It is good that there is more 
pressure on the Government to end its shameful connection with the US 
military at Shannon."


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