Vol. 411 No. 7
100 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether an explanation has been demanded from the US authorities in connection with the alleged use of fake Irish passports by American agents at the time of the Iran-Contra scandal; whether an explanation has been forthcoming; and the action now taken as a consequence.
When this allegation first came to light, the then Minister for Foreign Affairs, Deputy Barry, told the then US Secretary of State, George Schultz, at a meeting in Vienna on 7 November 1986 that any misuse of Irish passports was totally unacceptable. The Secretary of State accepted that position.
As Deputies will be aware from the answers given to previous questions on this subject, my predecessors and I have continued to raise the issue with senior representatives of the US administration. It has also been raised with the US Department of State by our embassy in Washington.
The position remains as stated by Secretary of State George Schultz — that the US authorities accept our view that any misuse of Irish passports is unacceptable. However no new information on the particular allegation referred to in the Deputy's question has become available.
