I move:
That in view of the explicit statement from the Libyan Ambassador to France of his country's support for the IRA and the continuing interference by that country in the affairs of this island through the supply of deadly weapons to the IRA, Seanad Éireann calls upon the Government to convey to the Government of Libya the demand that it desist forthwith from its policy of interference in this country and failing such assurances to break diplomatic relations with that country forthwith.
The first thing we must acknowledge and put on the record is that we are entirely against terrorism, no matter where it occurs or no matter what form it takes. This has been brought home forcibly to us in recent weeks by the seizure of a quantity of arms and ammunition off the coast of France. Only the size and the estimated cost of the ammunition haul abroad the Panamanian registered trawler the Eksund has led anyone to doubt that this was yet another gun running effort by the Provisional IRA.
The intelligence services have ample evidence at this stage of the IRA's tireless search for arms and explosives from Libya, America, the shady European dealers and, finally, back to our old friend Colonel Gadafi. This arms haul of some 150 tonnes of weapons, explosives and ammunition is an enormous quantity for a terrorist organisation whose active service members is put at fewer than 300. There is one theory that the consignment was to be divided between a number of terrorist groups in Europe. I submit that a more likely explanation is that it was to be stored in Ireland for use over a number of years.
The Provisionals' need for more weapons has been intensified in recent times by the success of the US authorities in breaking Irish gun-running and by seizures by the Army and RUC. Last year, 160 Soviet and German made assault rifles were discovered in the Irish Republic in boxes stamped "Libyan armed forces". Increasingly the IRA had to pass weapons around to carry out attacks. The last rocket launcher captured by the security forces had been used for an operation in Belfast and a few weeks later in Derry.
The IRA's greatest wish has been to acquire surface to air missiles, included in the Eksund catch, to attack police and army helicopters used for surveillance and ferrying supplies and troops. If they did, the security forces would have to rethink their tactics. In the find I am referring to, an estimated £20 million was the cost of the haul. It also appeared to be beyond the financial capacity of an organisation which the security forces suspect need more than £2 million a year to run the type of military and political campaigns of the nature carried out by the IRA. Recent evidence suggests that the Provisionals are short of cash. The kidnapping events, particularly the kidnapping of Mr. John O'Grady, have brought it forcibly home to us that terrorist organisations will go to enormous lengths and use the most brutal tactics in order to achieve their ultimate aim of acquiring sufficient money to carry out whatever military and political campaigns they pursue, related to what they call a struggle in the North.
It may be that the Eksund cargo was gift from Libya. After all, its leader has twice in recent months expressed support for the Provisionals. He had a strong motive for wishing revenge on Britain. However, the fact that the Provisionals' army council was willing to sanction such a hazardous venture, despite the recent history of failure, indicates both determination and desperation on behalf of the IRA to counteract the technically better equipped army and police.
The Provisionals talk about a strategy for the next century designed to break Britain's will to remain in the North. They are aware of the dangers of war weariness infecting their supporters and disillusionment within the ranks. We have had sporadic bombing offences and we even had the recent spectacle of two people being blown up in an attempt to carry out a bombing offence. The real ambition seems to me to kill more British soldiers in the hope that this will hasten British withdrawal. The weapons abroad the Eksund would have helped that ambition and certainly would have given tremendous heart to the terrorists.
The operation carried out on behalf of the Provisional IRA by the Eksund should bring it forcibly home to us the international dimension of terrorist activity. It should enforce the view that the Government have a tremendous responsibility in signing the European Convention on Suppression of Terrorism Act.
I would like to refer to an article that appeared in The Irish Independent on 6 November 1987 when the head of the French police anti-terrorist section, Mr. Alain Marsaud, said there was no doubt that four previous successful operations were carried out by the Provisional IRA. French police were certain that all five arms shipments between 1985 and this year had been gifts from Colonel Gadaffi and had been loaded at the military port of Tripoli. The previous shipments are reputed to have involved a total of 150 tonnes of weapons and ammunition.
The head of the police section also confirmed that the Eksund consignment had been loaded at Tripoli between October 13 and October 15. We see that French intelligence, recently confirmed by Irish police intelligence, has confirmed that Libya was the source of this particular arms haul destined for this country by the very fact that a number of the people captured on that trawler were well known and high ranking officials of the IRA. One of the people on board that trawler was reputed to be the IRA's logistics officer, Mr. Clery. The Government have no option but to admit that this haul was destined for the IRA and that the supporting evidence which I have quoted is surely enough to substantiate the reason why the Libyans are in this particular event up to their eyeballs. In fact, there was an admission by two crew members on the Eksund that the cargo was loaded in Tripoli. This was despite denials by the Libyan Government.
The reason for the immediate placing of a motion on the Seanad Order Paper by the Fine Gael Party was a statement issued by the Libyan Ambassador to France who stated:
My country is quite open about its policies towards national liberation movements.
We all know that Colonel Gadafi has declared his support for IRA activities in Northern Ireland on many occasions. Even in an interview with RTE some time ago, he declared openly his support for the terrorist activity and campaign of carnage being carried out against the British occupation of Northern Ireland. Therefore, Seanad Eireann cannot have any doubt about the efforts the Libyan regime will make to give military support to the IRA in their attempt to "liberate Ireland from British occupation".
It is in this context that we must examine the seizure of the arms cargo on the Irish crewed Eksund off the coast of France recently. The size of the arms find itself begs the question: how many events like the bombing massacre at Enniskillen could take place in Northern Ireland with the assistance of this sophisticated equipment? It should frighten all of us to contemplate the damage to property and human life this would have caused, carried out on behalf of all Irishmen.
However, I have to question the sincerity of the Government and Fianna Fáil in their dealings with this event. In a rushed attempt to distance the Government from Libyan involvement in the Eksund affair, the Minister for Industry and Commerce postponed, but did not cancel, a trade visit to Libya. It demonstrates yet again, the ambivalence we can have and we are prepared to tolerate against international terrorism. I submit that what is wrong now for the Government when they postpone this trade visit cannot be right at any time in the future.
I regret to say that Fianna Fáil have often displayed their special relationship with Colonel Gadafi in the past. The Taoiseach, made a number of visits to meet the Libyan leader in his tent to secure beef deals for Irish meat exporters. I would like to take this opportunity to call on the Taoiseach to display his unique friendship with Colonel Gadafi yet again by asking Libya to desist forthwith from its policy of interference in this country and, if he fails to secure that assurance, immediately to break off diplomatic relations with that country. It is very important for Ireland to show that it will not tolerate gun-running escapades which will lead eventually to the killing of innocent Irish people in our country.
The events in recent history show us that Libyan activity in international affairs goes further than their involvement in supporting the IRA. The record of the Libyan Government on international terrorism, the number of incidents in relation to airline disruption, the bombing of a discotheque in West Berlin, and the number of Libyan students who have had to be expelled by various countries throughout Europe, bear testimony to the unease with which countries should view the Libyan Government under the regime of Colonel Gadafi.
This all came to a head when the US drew the wrath of the Libyan Government by invading Libya two years ago. Whether or not we might agree with the sentiments behind that attack, I have no doubt that the debate which took place in this House at the time bore testimony to the fact that the US were taunted into making an attack on the Libyan Government. The Irish Government shared the concern of the United States about international terrorism at that time. As a neutral country we had to be very careful about the crisis that developed in US and Libyan relations. The tragic events of recent times indicate that Libyan activity could be increasing again in international spheres in order to heighten international tension once more.
I call on the Minister for Foreign Affairs to take whatever intensive co-operative action he possibly can in the European Community in the struggle against terrorism and to ensure that the Libyan activity which brought about a huge find of arms will never again be allowed to recur. We must put our country before party in dealing with international terrorism and we must demonstrate that we are forthright in resisting any attempt at the "softly, softly" approach we often have in this country to issues such as terrorism, particularly involving Libya. If our beef barons have to suspend deals with Libya that is the price we must pay for the protection of our people. We want to remove any ambivalence we may have in order to suppress any form of international terrorism that runs the risk of bringing arms into this country from a country that admits it supports the IRA and terrorism in an international sense. I hope the Government will be happy to support the Fine Gael motion.