Republican News · Thursday 20 February 2003

Aengus Ó Snodaigh

Ireland needs this bill

"The government oppose this Bill, but what are they afraid of? As Minister for Foreign Affairs, the late Brian Lenihan stated that 'Ireland's policy of military neutrality is premised on our intention not to become involved in hostilities between other states. In peacetime this calls for non-membership of military alliances'.

In 1992, Albert Reynolds said, 'The policy and tradition of neutrality in the military sense has served Ireland well. It has served as a symbol of sovereignty and independence...(and) helped us play a constructive role in UN peacekeeping.'

In 2001, Minister of Defence, Michael Smith stated that, 'in line with government policy of military neutrality, the government has made clear that Ireland would ONLY participate in operations authorised by the United Nations in accordance with the appropriate legislation and subject to Dáil approval.'

That same year, PD Minister of State Liz O'Donnell indicated the government's 'firm attachment' to military neutrality and claimed that 'we are not interested in joining military alliances'.

The strongest statement on neutrality comes from the now EU Affairs Minister Dick Roche, who said in 1999 that, 'it is bizarre that Ireland is willing to talk endlessly about our neutrality but have never sat down and determined in clear terms what we mean by neutrality... We should possess within our law a clear and unambiguous statement of how we determine our neutrality as a nation... to bind this and every future government on the issue of neutrality... We should give the people the opportunity to express their views on neutrality at the earliest possible date... They should be given the opportunity to write into their Constitution their commitment to neutrality in clear and unambiguous terms.'

On the words of some of their leading figures, this government should welcome this Bill with open arms. But they don't, because they fear exposure. The Fianna Fáil-led government has systematically pursued a policy of abandoning neutrality by stealth.

The government joined NATO's Partnership for Peace despite promises to the contrary. It refused to seek a legally binding neutrality Protocol to the Nice Treaty despite public outcry. It set the precedent of Ministerial authorisation for war complicity without the assent of the Dáil in the case of the US-led war on Afghanistan.

In the current crisis, it has not used its position on the Security Council and in the EU to join with other countries to strongly oppose war with Iraq. Instead, it has allowed US forces to use Shannon Airport as a pit-stop on the way to the war build-up, and has refused to unequivocally reject participation in war on Iraq.

If the Sinn Féin Neutrality Bill was passed, ALL these acts would be out of the question, as they would be very clearly unconstitutional. The Sinn Féin amendments would disallow participation in standing military alliances and restrict Irish overseas military involvement to UN Peacekeeping missions.

So it's clear to me that Ireland needs this Bill.

Sinn Féin wants neutrality to be explicitly enshrined in the constitution, and in law.

Contrary to what our opponents claim, the time could not be more ripe for a public debate and referendum on neutrality.

We in Sinn Féin are proud that our first Bill debated in Leinster House has made a contribution to this crucial public policy debate at this volatile time in world history."