Saddam, not the US, is the real enemy, argues John Deasy, Fine Gael TD for Waterford
Not that long ago we held a national day of mourning to grieve the victims of September 11th. As a nation we reached out to the families of Irish-American firefighters and policemen. We were as outraged as they were. Just over a year later, 59 per cent of Irish people don't support military action against Iraq even with a UN sanction attached and we are agonising over whether to allow US troops land at Shannon.
I have reservations about elements of US foreign policy but greater reservations about the threat Saddam Hussein poses to the free world. This tyrant has been butchering and terrorising his own people for decades and is capable of perpetrating far worse crimes than September 11th
Yet certain Irish political figures and elements of the media seem more interested in vilifying the Bush administration than they are in facing up to the reality that Saddam and evil men like him around the world must be stopped. I believe the war in Afghanistan against the cruel Taliban regime was morally justifiable and would support military action against Saddam Hussein by a UN-approved multinational force.
Let's not forget who stopped Hitler, Milosevic and the Communist dictatorships that murdered millions and deprived millions of others their basic freedoms. It wasn't our home-grown, left-leaning smug intellectuals who revel in portraying American policy-makers as trigger-happy land-grabbers. The people who have done more to promote global democracy and stability are the ones going through Shannon right now. They are our best hope of combating fundamentalist Islamic terrorism and the proliferation of nuclear and biological weapons into the hands of madmen.
We need them more than they need us. Our neutrality will not protect us from religious extremism and despots. I am not a warmonger but I believe that action may need to be taken against a man who has engaged in genocide against his own people and has consistently threatened chaos in the Middle East.
Irish men and women are not being sent to the Persian Gulf. The US is sending its sons and daughters in the expectation that some will sacrifice their lives to stop a dictator and maintain stability in the Middle East.They are prepared to do the world's dirty work. The US is a close friend and a vital economic ally. The least we can do is allow them to refuel at Shannon airport.
Saddam is a deadly threat
Eyal Kless, Israeli violinist living in Ireland
Twelve years ago I watched my grandfather fight for breath, gasping from within a gas mask as a Scud missile landed no further than 300 metres from our house. The threat then was as real as the threat today, as Israelis are getting ready for Iraqi missiles which may well carry chemical and biological weapons.
Instead of rebuilding his ravaged land, Saddam Hussein pays $25,000 to every family of a suicide bomber and $10,000 to the families of anyone wounded in attacks on Israel. When a yearly income is less than a $1,000 a year this is quite an incentive.
Thus he strengthens the extremists to wage endless war and bloodshed and try to destabilise the Middle East. If left unchallenged, Saddam would develop weapons of mass destruction in less than a year and use them to blackmail the world, perhaps provoking a pre-emptive nuclear attack costing millions of lives.
How many lives would have been spared on all sides if the world powers had the insight and courage to deal with Hitler in the 30s?
When I see the protesters marching enthusiastically down the street, chanting away and waving posters, I cannot but cringe at their naivety. Saddam has murdered thousands, waged war on his neighbours with a total of over a million casualties, tortured, assassinated and gassed his own people, the Kurds and the Iranians.
The protesters however, would rather leave any evil in the world in its place than go to war. They protested against the campaign in Kosovo, regardless of the hard evidence of ethnic cleansing as well as rape camps and concentration camps. They claim the Afghans would have done better under the Taliban and al-Qaeda. Now they are defending Saddam and, dare I say, were they alive in 1942 they probably would have protested against bombing Berlin.
The people have to decide whom they believe - the leaders of the free world or Saddam. They had better decide quickly though, the life of my family depends on it.
Neutrality remains intact
Pat Carey TD, Fianna Fáil TD and vice-chair of Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee
Much of the debate over the use of Shannon by flights carrying US military personnel has focused on our traditional policy of military neutrality. I remain firmly of the view that neutrality is not and was never intended to be a charter for the withdrawal from world affairs.
It is clear that the central element of our neutral stance, the non-membership of military alliances, remains intact. The Irish people have a very consistent and strong attachment to the tradition of neutrality first outlined by Eamon de Valera.
The model of our neutrality, which continues to this day, is one of playing a positive role in promoting and supporting peace throughout the world in co-operation with the international community.
While I accept the issue of the use of Shannon is emotive, it has been made clear on several occasions that in the event of military action, Ireland would review the existing situation. If military action were taken, then the continued use of Shannon should and will be brought before the Dáil.
The debate over the use of Shannon has been strong and healthy with all sides expressing genuine and strongly-held views. In this country, all sides hope that conflict in the Gulf region can be avoided. I remain convinced that the Government's handling of the matter has been correct.
The reality is that refuelling stops at Shannon by US forces have taken place over many decades and the issue must also be considered in the context of Ireland-US relations.
Ireland has and continues to assist in the search for peace. We did this during our term on the UN Security Council and continue doing so at an EU level. We have worked closely with our US counterparts throughout.
In seeking to persuade them of our views on issues such as Iraq, we have been forthcoming in responding to their requests for assistance.
No doubt the debate over Shannon will continue but, for now, let us all continue to hope that the need for military action does not arise.