Human Rights Issues.

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 25 October 2006

Wednesday, 25 October 2006

Questions (85)

Eamon Ryan

Question:

122 Mr. Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he has received the full written report he requested from the US authorities regarding the incident of 11 June 2006 when a civilian aircraft landed at Shannon en route from Kuwait to the United States carrying a US marine prisoner, without the requisite Government consent; if he has, will it be made public; the steps the Government has taken to engage in further discussion, as promised, with the US authorities on arrangements for notification and information sharing, and the strengthening of verification procedures as necessary; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34486/06]

Written answers

Minister for Foreign Affairs (Mr. D. Ahern)

As the Deputy will be aware, I took a very serious view of this incident and I invited the US Ambassador to meet with me at the Department of Foreign Affairs as soon as I was informed of it. I received the US Government's report of the incident at the beginning of July. While the report is subject to the normal rules of confidentiality that apply to communications between Diplomatic Missions and Foreign Ministries, I can confirm that the report provided a detailed description of the events that led to the incident in question, identified an apparent lapse in standard procedures and indicated that the US Embassy was evaluating possible remedial action and a readiness to work with the relevant authorities here to this end.

Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs have discussed arrangements at Shannon with officials from the US Embassy at several meetings since the report was received. I understand that the US Embassy has taken steps aimed at preventing any recurrence of this type of incident and at ensuring that all relevant personnel are fully aware of their obligations and of the procedures to be followed. On the basis of our discussions with the US authorities, I have no reason to believe that this was other than an isolated incident which arose from an administrative error.