Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 November 2020
5. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his plans to raise the ongoing use of Shannon Airport by the US military with US President-elect Biden, particularly in view of the fact that from January to October 2020, 65,965 US military personnel transited Shannon Airport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38480/20]
View answerMy question is a direct one. What are the Minister's plans to engage with the new President of America, Mr. Joe Biden, in respect of the continued use of Shannon Airport by American troops, given that this year alone 65,965, or almost 70,000, troops have passed through in ten months which is more than in any year from 2014 to 2017?
This Government has offered congratulations to President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Harris. We look forward to working with the new administration, once it is in place, to progress international peace and security, including during our time on the UN Security Council and on the important global challenges of Covid-19, economic recovery and climate change.
Deputy Connolly refers to the use of commercial aircraft by the US Government. While the Department of Transport has primary responsibility for civil aircraft, I would note that the use of Shannon Airport by the US military is a long-standing practice which has been in place for over 50 years. I am satisfied that this practice is fully consistent with Ireland’s policies, including our traditional policy of military neutrality. This policy of military neutrality, together with our international activism on issues such as disarmament, international crisis management and peacekeeping has helped us to speak with a distinctive and independent voice on many of the key challenges facing the world in relation to the maintenance of international peace and security.
Our relationship with the US is strong and deep and it is this Government's intention to work with the new Administration on strengthening that relationship through building on those long-standing and close political, diplomatic and economic ties.
I have addressed, as have other Ministers, the issue of the facilitation of planes coming through Shannon Airport on many occasions. There are safeguards in place.
I do not propose to make a significant issue of this with the incoming administration in the US unless there is very good reason to do so.
There is actually a very good reason to do so because America has been involved in many wars. The figures are shocking. I hope the Minister would use his voice for the sake of peacekeeping rather than peace enforcement. According to the UN Refugee Agency, 79.5 million people were displaced in 2019. Of those, approximately 39 million were displaced as a direct result of America's involvement in wars since 2001. A great number of soldiers and military flights go through Shannon on their way to creating mayhem. I am disappointed that the Minister will not make it an issue. I would have thought it the perfect time to make an issue of it. This small country can stand as an independent voice for peace in the world, set out a new way and begin to remove the military presence from Shannon.
I agree with the Deputy on many things in respect of Ireland's role in the world and being a voice advocating for human rights, peace and peacekeeping. We do advocate for all of those things. These are some of the reasons we fought so hard for a place on the UN Security Council, beginning 1 January. The priorities we have set for our term on the Security Council are built around peace, peacekeeping and holding countries to account for their actions under international law. That is what we campaigned on and that is why we got significant support from UN member states, particularly small countries and countries that have been impacted by conflict. Many such countries trust Ireland to be a voice to which they can speak, knowing that they will be listened to. They see us as a country that will advocate for their concerns. That is not in question. I do not extend that argument, as the Deputy does, to suggest that having these objectives requires us to stop facilitating something that has been in place for more than five decades. We are talking about a country with which we want to work to advance our principles and policies internationally.
It is not possible to advance those principles and policies if we are facilitating war, and we are facilitating war. Almost 3 million soldiers have passed through Shannon Airport since 2002. Some 475 American planes have landed and 734 overflight permissions were granted in 2019 alone. It is not possible to promote peace if we are facilitating war. It is simply not possible; they do not go together. The argument that we must continue with this because it is long-standing practice is the weakest I have ever heard propounded. Later on today we will be talking about the appointment of judges, which also involves long-standing practices. Being of long standing does not make a practice right. In this situation, it is all the more important. I have read out figures that are absolutely damning with regard to the number of people displaced. The trend is such that these millions of people will not be able to go back to their countries. That is what the UN Refugee Agency has noted. War is a primary cause of that displacement and, given our history, we should be the strongest voice in promoting peace. It is not possible to do that while facilitating war by allowing military use of Shannon Airport.
With respect, the way for Ireland to maximise its influence to promote peace is to build relationships with countries all over the world that are involved in conflict so that we can try to influence the decisions they make. That is how the world works when it comes to international politics, as opposed to countries taking stands that may sound good domestically but which get nothing done internationally.
With regard to the use of Shannon Airport, the practical implementation of the conditions for granting permission for landings by foreign military aircraft is guided by and reflects Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality. Conditions routinely applied include that the aircraft must be unarmed and carry no arms, ammunition or explosives; that they do not engage in intelligence gathering; and that the flights concerned do not form part of military exercises or operations. These conditions apply equally to military aircraft from all countries, including the US, seeking to land in Shannon or elsewhere in Ireland.
