Minister says no evidence of US arms transiting Shannon

Minister for Defence Alan Shatter has told the Dáil he has no knowledge of any aircraft carrying weapons to Iraq landing at Shannon Airport.

He was rebutting questions from Independent TD Clare Daly suggesting US aircraft carrying 100 Hellfire missiles to Iraq may have landed at the midwest airport.

Under agreements reached between the Irish and US governments, US military aircraft are permitted to refuel at Shannon but are not permitted to carry armaments or non-US prisoners under rendition.

Ms Daly said the Guardian newspaper reported last week that the US government had sent the missiles to Iraq in the past number of weeks.

“We do not know whether those weapons were transported through Shannon, but a number of US airforce aircraft refuelled at Shannon and were present there over the past period,” she said.

Mr Shatter told her, however: “I have no knowledge, nor has Deputy Daly, of any aircraft landing in Shannon that was carrying the munitions to Iraq that she mentioned”.

He said if she or Independent TD Mick Wallace had information that indicated the "arrangements and agreements relating to such landing are being violated, or that armaments are being carried when they should not be, I will have the matter examined".

Search of

aircraft
But Mr Wallace said: "I am not the Minister for Defence. If you want to find out, Minister, what is on the aeroplanes, all you have to do is organise a search. It is not an unreasonable request."

Ms Daly pointed out that on February 22nd and March 2nd, Defence Forces personnel were present in front of US aircraft at the airport. “I hope the Minister will tell me they were there to conduct searches of the aircraft, because it appeared that they were there to protect them.”

The Minister said requests for Defence Forces support were received from An Garda Síochána on those dates. He added that the Defence Forces “have no responsibility for searching US military aircraft that land at Shannon Airport”.

Mr Wallace said it was “difficult for us to know if the airport is being used at all times in an appropriate manner when we do not search the aircraft”.

“It defies all rationality that we assume that what the Americans tell us is true. Any keen follower of foreign affairs would know that the same people would say Mass.”

The Wexford TD claimed that “without a doubt there are arms and troops going through Shannon that are being used for illegal wars . . . we are reneging on our responsibilities by refusing to search these aeroplanes”.

Mr Shatter said Mr Wallace “seems to be operating on the assumption that the arrangements in place are being violated”. The Minister added: “He is welcomed to furnish me evidence of the allegations.”