Vol. 494 No. 4
132 Mr. Gormley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs whether he expressed concern to the United States in relation to its missile attacks on Sudan; his views on whether these attacks constitute a breach of international law; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [18327/98]
The US missile attack on the Al Shifa chemical plant near Khartoum on 20 August, together with the simultaneous attack on a target in Afghanistan, was clearly a response to the attacks on the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam which resulted in the deaths of 263 people. At the time, the US indicated that it had acted upon credible and compelling evidence identifying those who had perpetrated the embassy bombings and that those individuals were planning further attacks.
Since the missile attack on Sudan, there has been questioning of the basis for that decision, including the evidence available to the US that the targeted plant was engaged in producing chemical weapons. Following a request by Sudan to the Security Council and the involvement of a number of other states in the region, informal consultations have taken place in New York on the possible tabling of a draft resolution requesting the UN Secretary General to dispatch a fact finding mission to Sudan to study whether the Al Shifa factory was involved in the production of chemical weapons ingredients and whether any links exist between the factory and the Usama bin Laden terrorist network. These consultations have not yet concluded and the draft resolution has not been formally tabled.
