THE president of the Irish Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament has written to the Democratic Left leader, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, asking him to explain his comments on neutrality. Dr John de Courcy Ireland is also a member of the Democratic Left executive.
Dr de Courcy Ireland said yesterday that he was "very distressed" at what Mr De Rossa had said in his address to his party's annual delegate conference on Saturday night about Ireland's involvement in the Stabilisation Force for Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sfor). The United Nations has delegated command of Sfor to NATO as the relevant regional force.
Mr De Rossa told delegates that he "personally" did not believe Ireland would be compromised by participation in Sfor. However, he would not tolerate a "thin end of the wedge mentality that would use this as a means of us slipping into NATO by degrees."
Ireland "ought not to join NATO, WEU or PFP," he said.
But, according to Dr de Courcy Ireland and Mr Sean Dunne, national secretary of CND, participation in Sfor does represent a slippage towards involvement in NATO.
Dr de Courcy Ireland said: "As president of CND I must say I have far too much suspicion about NATO not to feel it is precisely the thin end of the wedge. I am glad that Proinsias De Rossa said he did not want NATO but I am suspicious that it would drag us in gradually."