This article is from page 23 of the 2010-01-05 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 23 JPG
SHANNON Airport’s commercial needs compromising Ireland’s neu- trality isn’t just a modern day phe- nomenon brought by US offensives in Iraq and Afghanistan – State pa- pers from 30 years ago have revealed that the Government wrestled with the same dilemma in 1979.
That year the US authorities sprung an informal request on the Govern- ment to allow 12,000 soldiers to transit through Shannon Airport en route from a NATO exercise in Ger- TneT-B ONY
The US proposal to land troops in Shannon only came to the authori- ties’ notice when the Department of Transport and Foreign Affairs were phoned to ask for facilities at Shannon for two customs officers to observe troop transports on the ground.
Allowing the troops land was worth £250,000 in revenue to Shannon in landing fees and duty free shopping, a request the Government acceded to in early 1979.
The State papers reveal that gov- ernment officials were concerned that allowing the stopover would compromise the country’s traditional policy of military neutrality and that the stopover request had not gone through the proper diplomatic chan- nels.
One memo relating to the stopover request suggested “checking with the US Embassy fairly courteously but firmly on the issue of principle in or-
der to ensure that it does not become general practice. “It is possible at least – even though
is a ‘try on’ to see how we react to such requests “It would be instructive to think
it seems unlikely – that the approach how we would react if the Soviet Un-
ion wanted to fly troops back from Cuba in Aeroflot planes and took us similarly for granted,” added the | Xe) Kes h:4 0a WOE: Nunc o nto eley
Officials from the Department of Industry and Commerce and _ the Department of the Taoiseach were concerned that refusal to accede to the stopover request could have a negative impact on US investment in Ireland.
However, another government memo wondered whether agree- ment would facilitate “even if only marginally, acts with which the Irish Government would not wish to be involved.
‘“Lobbies exercised about neutrality would exploit this situation and see it as a further indication of our alleged gradual and ‘de facto’ involvement with NATO.
“Tf it were allowed, even on a one- off basis there would probably be some public controversy or question- ing about or position on NATO and it would be well to be prepared for Wee
“Agreement would also indicate our goodwill to the US and our will- ingness to facilitate the defence of Europe and with that part of it which we were involved in constructing a new political entity.”