A chara, - Desmond O'Malley TD described his "feelings of nausea" at my statement in the Dail on the NATO bombings in the Balkans (The Irish Times, March 26th). The deputy did manage to keep down his lunch, though, and went on to misrepresent my position in your columns the next day. He accused me of "supporting Milosevic". Not so.
This is what I said: "I wish to record in the strongest possible terms my opposition and that of my party to the attack of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation on Serbia. This is undoubtedly the most serious act of international military aggression within Europe since the end of the Second World War.
NATO has carried out these attacks in violation of international law and without reference to the United Nations. All previous experience shows that military intervention by foreign powers will serve only to deepen the national and social divisions in the region and postpone the prospect of a peaceful long-term solution. I urge the Government to oppose these attacks now and to call an emergency meeting of the neutral member states of the European Union to bring forward a peaceful alternative to this international war initiated by NATO."
The Milosevic regime is responsible for gross violations of human rights. So also is the government of Turkey against the Kurds - but Turkey is a NATO member and ally of the US and Britain in this war. The Indonesian regime has committed genocide against the people of East Timor with weapons supplied by NATO countries. These double standards do not seem to trouble Mr O'Malley.
At least Mr O'Malley's support for the ending of Irish neutrality and our entry into the nuclear-armed NATO military alliance has always been known. On the other hand, his coalition partners in Fianna Fail told the electorate before the 1997 general election: "Fianna Fail are committed to nuclear disarmament. We will oppose any moves to edge Ireland closer to membership of an alliance still committed to the deployment of nuclear weapons. We oppose Irish participation in NATO itself, in NATO-led organisations such as the Partnership for Peace, or in the Western European Union beyond observer status".
This promise has been broken by the Taoiseach, who has said that he expects a "clear democratic mandate" in the European elections to join NATO's Partnership for Peace. Now that Fianna Fail has broken its 1997 pre-election pledge the electorate is in a good position to judge the worth of the Taoiseach's 1999 pre-election assurances that joining PFP will not violate our neutrality.
The Taoiseach's mandate comes from the policy on which his party sought election and not from Mr O'Malley. He should stick to his mandate and adopt the role most Irish people want for us on the world stage - as an active neutral country promoting peace outside of military alliances. - Is mise, Caoimhghin O Caolain,
TD, Teach Laighean, Baile atha Cliath 2.