The Dáil should be reconvened if necessary to discuss any military action in Iraq, Fine Gael said today.
The party's spokesman on foreign affairs Mr Gay Mitchell said the issue was "too important to be decided by the Government or by the Taoiseach and Tánaiste in long distance phone conversations with the Minister for Foreign Affairs."
"At a time of potential war and as US troops pass through Shannon, the Taoiseach, Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs are all out of the country".
Mr Mitchell re-iterated his party's assertion that unilateral action against Iraq by any State is not acceptable and that independent verification of claims about Iraqi weaponry must be established.
"This is a matter in which the Dáil has a Constitutional role and the Dáil must decide on Ireland's policy. If necessary, the Dáil should be reconvened," he added.
Yesterday, the Labour Party's spokesman on foreign affairs, Mr Michael D. Higgins, accused the Government of breaching the 1954 Defence Act by allowing US aircraft land at Shannon airport.
He said up to 1,500 uniformed troops have travelled through Shannon on eight flights in the past 24 hours in direct contravention of Section 317 of the Act, which stated: "No person shall, save with the consent in writing of a Minister of State, enter or land in the State while wearing any foreign uniform."
Mr Higgins, who plans to travel to Iraq before the end of the month with a delegation from the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee, said the Government had "lied again and again" on its position regarding the stopovers.
