Ba mhaith liom t-ábhar seo leanas a phlé sar a scoireann an Teach: "That Seanad Éireann notes with concern the alleged involvement of the South African Government in the importation of arms by a Loyalist organisation." The salient facts are well known to Members of the House. Just to recall them very briefly, members of a Loyalist organisation, Ulster Resistance, with American businessmen and a South African diplomat, were apprehended in a hotel in Paris. It is said that negotiations were in progress between these people with regard to the selling of secrets in relation to very sophisticated armoury made in Shorts in Belfast in return for the importation of what is euphemistically called ordinary armaments to Loyalist groups in the Six Counties.
The news tonight at six o'clock informed us that over 700 people are being laid off in Shorts in Belfast. It gives no pleasure to Seanad Éireann, no more than it will to the Loyalist population in east Belfast, that this should happen. It is conceivable that as a result of what is happening in Shorts, people taking secrets from the factory, visiting South Africa and taking jobs in armament factories in South Africa and the whole business in Shorts in Belfast, their reputation is being undermined. This is another corollary to what has happened and what has been happening over the years with regard to the involvement between South Africa and certain Loyalist organisations in the North with regard to the whole question of the importation of arms. Indeed the media honed in on this as if it were something new. However, anybody who has been to the North or in consultation with people who are living there will know that everybody knows — or everybody up there says — there is a well founded and well formed train of importation of arms, particularly from South Africa, and especially in transit through Scotland, coming into the Loyalist organisations for the last 20 years, if not more, because over the last number of years the propaganda put out by Westminister and by the Northern Ireland Government, aided and abetted by certain elements here is very simplistic. It says that all you have to do is to get rid of the Provos and the whole question of Northern Ireland is solved, cause and effect.
I am not going into that but it is very easy for anybody with eyes in his head or with ears to listen to realise that there are illegal Loyalist organisations, North and South, importing arms, much of those arms from South Africa. One would imagine that the whole Loyalist approach has been one of reconciliation and peace. Of course that is not the case. The whole Loyalist approach has been one of threatening confrontation. It is unfortunate that the cause on one side has the opposite effect on the other side. Therefore, the tit for tat goes on. It is important to note that the South African Government are prepared to sell their armaments to organisations, in this case the Loyalist organisations, in the same way that other countries are prepared to sell armaments, guns and ammunitions to the Provos for the killing and maiming of people, the destruction of property and so forth like that in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately some of the Loyalist armaments and guns have been used here in Dublin and other parts of the South as well. It has to be brought home to the South African Government that we will not tolerate that and that we are not at all satisfied with the conduct of the South African Government in this regard. We have no diplomatic relations with South Africa. We abhor the régime although it is very easy for us to talk about a régime of repression and discrimination and to criticise it when it is so many thousand miles away. It is probably more difficult to criticise régimes of discrimination and intolerance when they are nearer home.
Indeed it is rather surprising that a person should mention Arbour Hill in the Seanad and be criticised for it by speakers on the opposite side. However, questions arise with regard to the position of the South African Government, and their dealings with the Loyalist organisations. Questions arise particularly with regard to the personnel on the Loyalist side who were members — or had been members — of the security forces in the North. The question arises in regard to how much collusion there is between the security forces in the North and the various organisations for destruction on the Loyalist side.
I note that questions have been raised in the House of Commons with regard to what knowledge the British security forces, Westminister and the Tory Government under Mrs. Thatcher, had of these dealings, not just in Paris two or three weeks ago but over a considerable number of years in the importation of arms to the North, especially through Scotland. Under the Anglo-Irish Agreement we should bring to the attention of the British that we are very concerned about the importation of arms. We have demonstrated that we are very concerned with the importation of arms by the Provos, the Government have been zealous in trying to stop that activity. We should demand from the British Government through the Anglo-Irish Agreement and through our Ambassador in London that Mrs. Thatcher, one of the few friends that the South African Government have in the western world, takes this up very seriously with the South African authorities and brings to their notice that all they are doing is adding to the destruction, the death list, loss of life and property and the casualties of the North by their dealings.
It is disturbing as well when we see the close involvement of so-called democratic politicians of the Unionist side with the beginning of this Ulster Resistance Movement and their close involvement up to quite recently with it. It again begs the question: what does democracy mean in the North? Why do people who sit in a Parliament and profess loyalty to that Parliament and their Queen, at the same time have not only very strong links with but are involved in setting up these Loyalist organisations?
The South have a very solid democratic record. We have given no quarter and it is only our right to ask that our record here be part and parcel of the record of the British authorities in dealing with all illegal and subversive organisations and indeed all organisations importing arms for the destruction of life and property and the maiming of people. The conflagration has gone on for much too long. The importation of arms on the Loyalist side went on, of course, naturally before the setting up of the State: you can go back to the Larne importation and right through the thirties, forties and fifties. We will not go into history. We had enough history a while ago from people on the revisionist side.
Another facet that worries me is that the diplomat from South Africa was set free due to diplomatic immunity. If a person is involved in a criminal act, should that person — and this applies to all countries — have diplomatic immunity? It is now said that the Loyalist people and the American businessman will get off with just a very light indictment in regard to theft. If they do get off in the French courts will these people be extradited to the North and will they face the courts in the North? It will be an interesting development and I hope our Government will insist, through the Anglo-Irish Agreement and through our ambassador in London, that serious consideration is given by the British Government to this development.
This is the first conclusive and concrete evidence we have of the association of Loyalist organisations with South Africa. It is important that we look upon it very seriously and take whatever measures we can to bring it to an end. It is very important to impress this on the British authorities, particularly on Mrs. Thatcher who is perhaps the only friend the South African regime have in the western world. Therefore, a Leas-Chathaoirligh, I propose this motion, that we note with concern what has taken place between a South African diplomat and this Loyalist organisation. I hope the Government will take up the matter directly with the British Government and again through the Anglo-Irish Agreement.
