The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has turned down the US government's invitation to send a naval patrol ship to a forthcoming Partnership for Peace (PfP) exercise in the Baltic.
The Minister said yesterday that acceptance would have been "inappropriate", taking into account "fishery protection requirements and the current debate over Irish membership of the PfP".
The Green Party MEP Ms Patricia McKenna said in a statement she was "delighted" at the refusal. "As a neutral country, Ireland should not be participating in NATO-linked exercises, especially in the light of the illegal air strikes against Yugoslavia," she said.
The decision is expected to disappoint the Naval Service and the Nautical Institute, representing both mercantile and naval officers. The institute had favoured participation. It is the first time that Ireland had considered sending a ship, although a naval officer, Lt Cmmdr Hugh Tully, was sent as an observer in 1994.
Lt Cmmdr Hugh Tully recently stated that participation would be "well within the spirit of our brand of neutrality". Writing in the Cosantoir review, he said the Naval Service would have as much to offer in terms of search and rescue and fishery protection as it had to gain from the experience.
