Madam, - I write to express my dismay at the 7,798 Iraqi civilian deaths and at least 20,000 civilian injuries.
Iraq under occupation is a mess. Unemployment stands at around 60 per cent and 3,000 Iraqi prisoners are being held in a brutal detention centre known as Camp Cropper on the outskirts of Baghdad.
The silence from our own Government is a disgrace, particularly after the use of Shannon Airport for US soldiers on their way to war. Ireland needs to assert itself as a strong independent voice on the world stage. - Yours, etc.,
FINIAN McGRATH TD, (Independent, Dublin North Central), Dáil Éireann, Dublin 2.