The National Security Committee established in the wake of the September 11th attacks on the US does not view the use of Shannon Airport by American troops as a potential security threat, according to the Taoiseach.
Mr Ahern told the Dáil that the use of Shannon was "not an issue about which it is concerned. There is no change in the position regarding the Shannon stopover and we shouldn't talk up that issue."
He also said the Garda and Defence Forces had put considerable effort into the Middle Eastern groups operating in Ireland and elsewhere. "There are not significant numbers involved but security-wise a substantial effort goes into that now."
During question time, the Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, had asked about the opinion expressed by US civil rights campaigner the Rev Jesse Jackson that the use of Shannon Airport by US troops was "putting Ireland in the line of fire".
Mr Sargent also asked if the committee had any recommendations about the use of Shannon and asked if carrying unspecified cargo, which was not searched for weapons or inspected for compliance with air safety and fire regulations, would be dealt with.
Mr Ahern said Mr Jackson had been to see him, and before he left the country he informed him that his views had been misquoted and used mischievously.
The Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, asked: "How is it that people in captivity can be transferred from Iraq to Cuba without going through Shannon Airport". It "would appear that it is happening and that we are not minded to establish the truth or otherwise of that claim."
The Fine Gael leader, Mr Enda Kenny, described Ireland as the "most defenceless country in Europe" and said that if someone decided to "fly a plane into the country as a suicide mission, the Taoiseach would have to make the crucial decision to call in the RAF to shoot it down". In the wake of September 11th, the Army ranger unit was to be considerably strengthened but this had not happened and no extra finance had been given to G2, the military intelligence wing.
Mr Ahern said considerable resources had been put into the Defence Forces and that all groups linked to emergency planning "pulled together" and dealt with risks ranging from marine pollution to the foot-and-mouth crisis.
Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins (Dublin West) asked if inquiries were made as to "whether prisoners being spirited from the Middle East have stopped there on the way to President Bush's gulag in Guantanamo".
Mr Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF, Cavan-Monaghan) asked if the Government would tell the US authorities it was no longer prepared to facilitate its military action in Iraq through the stopover. Mr Ahern said the stopover had been in place since 1959. "We have never withdrawn or suspended those facilities during that time and I do not see the situation any differently now."
