Are the Shannon protesters right? Anti-war protesters will be heading to Shannon again tomorrow to oppose US military stopovers. Below, the two sides of the stopover argument give their views.
YES
Richard Boyd Barrett
Chair of the Irish Anti-War Movement
US involved in immoral war for oil
George Bush is determined to go to war against Iraq. Why?
No weapons of mass destruction have been found by UN inspectors in Iraq. Scott Ritter, former chief UN weapons inspector in Iraq, has stated that 96 per cent of Iraq's WMD programme was destroyed by previous UN inspection teams and that Iraq represents no threat to the West.
Violation of UN resolutions does not justify war. Israel has violated countless UN resolutions and continues its illegal occupation of Palestinian land. No threats are made against Israel, and the US continues to give them more financial and military aid than any country in the world.
Saddam is a tyrant and a dictator. But the US continues to sell weapons and ally itself to Saudi Arabia, a dictatorship every bit as brutal as Saddam's Iraq.
Finally, Bush has tried to justify the current war drive by making reference to the tragedy of September 11th. Yet no evidence whatsoever has been given to connect Iraq to these attacks.
Bush's arguments don't add up. But there is another explanation for the US war drive.
In September 2000 Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, Jeb Bush and Lewis Libby published a report, Project for the New American Century. They wrote:
"The United States has for decades sought to play a more permanent role in the Gulf. While the unresolved conflict with Iraq provides the immediate justification, the need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein." In other words the US wants the oil.
Closely related is the US desire to see off other competitors to US global supremacy. In 1992 Dick Cheney wrote: "Our strategy must focus on precluding the emergence of any potential competitor." Paul Wolfowitz in the US Defence Planning Guidance document wrote that the US aim is to use its military power to "discourage . . . the advanced industrial nations from challenging our leadership or even aspiring to a larger regional or global role."
The global health organisation Medact estimates that 50,000 Iraqis will die if there is a war. Can we support such terrible human destruction to ensure the wealth and power of the US and its oil companies?
On February 15th in capital cities across the globe tens of millions will take to the streets against this war. Join them.
Roger Cole
Chair of the Peace and Neutrality Alliance
A clear breach of our neutrality
The Irish Government is allowing Shannon Airport to be used as a US Air Force base as soldiers from the US use it as a staging post on their way to conquer Iraq. The decision of this Government to collaborate with President Bush's oil war is a rejection of Irish neutrality.
Ireland is no longer a neutral and independent state, but an insignificant part of the NATO/EU military industrial structures which are dominated by the United States administration and the US military corporations.
Mr Ahern is determined to go down in history as the greatest political leader since John Redmond.
Technically, the US and its vassal state, Britain, are not at war with Iraq. They have, however, been bombing it for the last 10 years.
The US, of course, was never technically at war with the Vietnamese people. Technically, the US was never at war with the people of Nicaragua, even though they gave massive aid to terrorists for years.
Technically, therefore, Mr. Ahern's government will state it is not at war with Iraq. But in the real world this is not an option. By allowing Irish airspace and Irish airports to be used by US troops on their way to war the Irish Government is supporting the coming war.
Even legally, since Dail Eireann has yet to debate and vote to allow the use of our airports and airspace, the Government is in contravention of Article 29 of our Constitution, which commits Ireland to the peaceful settlement of international disputes. The 1954 Act, which allows the Minister for Foreign Affairs to give, on a case-by-case basis, the right of foreign military aircraft to land on our territory, clearly states: "No person shall, save with the consent in writing of a Minister of State, go into any public place in the State while wearing any foreign uniform."
The US troops in Shannon have been seen wearing their desert fatigues, and it is just not credible to say they do not have weapons on board, especially as gardai have not searched the planes.
Small states like Ireland should stay neutral and not support Bush's war.
Tracey Ryan
Student and participant in the Shannon peace camp
Irish people have never had a say
By allowing American military planes to refuel at Shannon Airport we will be complicit in the war against Iraq. There is strong anti-war sentiment in Ireland, yet our Government is turning a blind eye.
When the Minister for Foreign Affairs was interviewed about this on Prime Time he avoided answering the questions directly in true politician style. This matter is serious enough for politicians to fully inform us. It should be raised in Dail Eireann and the consent of the people should be sought.
We must stand up and declare that this unjust and illegal war will not be fought in our names.
The Government recently conceded that small arms were being carried on board military flights despite previously denying this.
It has taken our group a year and a half of monitoring Shannon Airport and setting up a peace camp to finally get this issue discussed.
In our democratic society peace activists have been thrown out of the airport, had camera film taken and have even been arrested for merely watching military planes.We believe that larger weapons such as hand-held anti-aircraft weapons are on board the chartered cargo planes.
The police will not inspect these planes even though it is required by law. We must wait for Mr Cowen's next admission to find out what they are carrying.
Our democracy is based on the rule of law and our Constitution. This is being breached on a daily basis. Section 317 of the 1954 Defence Act specifies that 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. Yet last week I saw approximately 150 American troops being driven to the airport. They immediately changed into desert camouflage in the Departure Lounge.
As a result of the abuse of Shannon Airport and the "re-run" of the Nice Treaty referendum, I often question our democracy. Perhaps we in the Western world should work on our own democracy before imposing it on the Middle East. We have more to offer the less fortunate people of the world than bombs and crimes against humanity.