Seanad Éireann díospóireacht -
Thursday, 28 Feb 1991

Vol. 127 No. 15

Gulf War: Statements.

Mr. Fallon

It is five minutes per group and I want to share my time with Senator Lydon and Senator Mooney.

Yesterday I expressed the hope that when we came back next Wednesday the war would be over. This morning the war appears to be over. We share in the joy and the relief of the world that this is the case. Obviously at a time like this we should express our congratulations to the American nation, to the American forces and to the coalition allies for the liberation of the small nation of Kuwait. Nor should we forget the united and strong role of the United Nations, of which we are a member, whose stand on this issue, the events in Kuwait and in the Middle East since 2 August last year, has won for them a new significance as a powerful world influence.

Mr. Lydon

We are grateful that the war is over. We saw from newspaper reports this morning the devastation that was left in Kuwait by Saddam Hussein where women were hanged and tortured. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Stormin' Norman Schwarzkopf for the way he conducted the war and got this tyrant out of country which he took over.

Mr. Mooney

I, too, would like to congratulate the allied forces and particularly the US. Those of us who saw President Bush speaking last night live from the White House could not help but be moved at the emotion of the moment. For an American it must have been a very highly charged emotional moment to know that your loved ones would be returning home. I also think that what happens in the United States will have a direct bearing on us here in the sense that they have been living under the cloud of Vietnam for some 20 odd years, an entire generation. Perhaps now they will come out from under that, and we may have a stronger and more confident United States which will be economically strong and which will obviously help us here. I presume that the Bord Fáilte executives were clinking champagne glasses this morning because the potential disaster in the Irish tourist industry hopefully has been averted, I believe, and I made the point earlier, that this Government should have made some contribution of a material nature. We should have sent a field hospital to the Middle East. We should have got off the fence in helping to remove the dictator Hussein and his army.

Now we have been trumpeting our role in the United Nations and now that all sides of the House have been highlighting our role within the United Nations, we should immediately offer the support of our troops if the necessity arises for United Nations observation troops to be located along the Kuwait-Saudi-Iraqi border, and we should make a practical effort to be part of the world of nations rather than sitting back and carping, as many people did, on the sidelines. This is the marvellous day for freedom, it is a marvellous day for the United Nations and for the allied forces and I am grateful, and thank God that the war is over and that families will be re-united. Sadly people have lost their lives in the Gulf. May God have mercy on their souls.

Mr. McKenna

I would like to add my voice to the other speakers and say how delighted I am that there is a ceasefire in the Gulf and that the war seems to be coming to an end. While I do not think anyone condones war at any time, I think the action taken by the Security Council of the United Nations was very necessary. There was a megalomaniac, a demi god, who decided to take over a very small nation.

I would hope that the machinery will be put in place immediately for negotiations in the whole of the Middle East and a settlement reached so that this type of event will never occur again, either in our lifetime or in the lifetime of future generations. It is extremely important that the whole issue of the Middle East be sorted out at this stage and we now have that opportunity so that we will never again have a small nation overrun by a dictator like Saddam Hussein.

Mr. Manning

On behalf of the Fine Gael group I welcome the ceasefire which we heard of this morning. I welcome the liberation of Kuwait and the success of the collective action of the UN. I am appalled at the horror stories coming out of Kuwait. Nothing can justify the atrocities perpetrated on the innocent people of that country. Saddam Hussein, who is ultimately and directly responsible for these atrocities, must be seen for what he is, a war criminal, and he must now face the court of world opinion and of ultimate justice.

On 21 January I said in this House, speaking for my own party, that the issue at stake in this war was the collective security of small nations and the readiness and moral courage of UN members to support its own resolutions. I said then that this war was taking place because for the first time since the establishment of the UN in 1945 one UN country had sought to wipe another UN country off the map. That was the simple and sole reason for the war. It was an act of unprovoked, premeditated aggression which could not be justified in any way. I said then and I say today — indeed it is even more appropriate today — that there is no war party in this House, there was no monopoly of compassion or of principled concern among any group in this House or in this country.

Senators

Hear, hear.

Mr. Manning

I have to say how sickening it has been in recent times to hear from some groups on the left claims of moral superiority and of self-superiority. Some of them have begun to resemble a Hussein brass band in their discriminate, congenital, anti-American posturings.

Mr. Norris

Rubbish.

Mr. Manning

I was not talking about you Senator, but if the cap fits.

(Interruptions.)

An Cathaoirleach

Senator Manning is entitled to express himself here and he has time to do that. If Senator Norris wants to dispute it subsequently, he may do so, but not while Senator Manning is speaking.

Mr. Manning

However, the priority now has to be the rebuilding of Kuwait, the rebuilding of Iraq and the liberation of its good, decent people from a terrible tyranny. Let us hope that this war will give a fresh impetus and encouragement to face up in a realistic way for the first time to the problems of the Palestinians.

Finally, may I pay tribute to the work of the world coalition, the leadership of George Bush, and may I salute their success in this conflict and pray that a lasting peace and a fair peace will now ensue.

An Cathaoirleach

Anybody else from Senator Manning's group?

Mrs. Doyle

He represents all our views.

Mr. B. Ryan

I want to share my time with my colleague Senator Ross and Senator Norris. I am very glad the war is over. I am very glad that Senator Manning, late in his remarks, remembered the Iraqi people. They are the greatest victims of Saddam Hussein. They did not pick him, they did not choose him, he was imposed upon them to a considerable extent by those who now strike sanctimonious poses about his horrors. They have lived with his horrors for many long years and they have lived, in addition to those horrors, with the horrors of a most savage and, in my view no matter what the outcome, morally unjustifiable bombing campaign.

Bombing civilians directly or indirectly is never right and no matter how gratifying the outcome of this war, the fundamental moral question will still be: was it right to do it the way it was done? I stand, as I have stood all through this war, on the position that it was never morally right, it is still not morally right and the outcome does not make what was inherently evil right. I hope all the aspirations for the Palestinians will be reached. Perhaps somebody will think about the people of Tibet who have been occupied by one of the sanctimonious group of five nations. Perhaps somebody will think about the people of Lesotho who have been battered by South Africa. Perhaps somebody will think of all those powers some time and that the moral indignation and the moral righteousness that is being displayed here will actually extend all around the world. I doubt it but I hope so.

Mr. Ross

I should like, rather than to agree with Senator Ryan, to agree with what Senator Manning said this morning. I think there are serious lessons for us in what has happened in this particular conflict in the last few weeks, and the first is that something like this should never be allowed to happen again. I agree with Senator Manning that we have a moral duty to bring a tyrant of this sort to justice.

The evidence coming out of Kuwait is abslutely horrific. Bob Fisk, who is not a sympathiser with the western cause in this conflict, said this morning that the people who inflicted what they did on Kuwait in the last few days were guilty of war crimes. We must learn the lesson that this cannot happen again. If punitive measures have to be taken against certain people in Iraq as a result of this, so be it. I would support those particular measures being taken.

Mr. Norris

I am glad the killing has stopped. I do not think anybody regrets the end of the war. I hope that the sale of armaments will be controlled and I was glad that there was general support from the Government benches for this. It simply must be done. It is an obscenity, it is disgusting, to see the arms dealers with their tongues out a yard long hungering for what they can sell now to the nations of the Middle East. I hope the western countries will forbid the sale of instruments of torture because it is hypocritical for them to condemn torture, as I condemn the crimes that were committed in Kuwait, while they are manufacturing and selling the instruments of torture and virtually every member of the allies has done and continues to do this. I hope there will be international recognition at last of individual's human rights within the state and if there is to be a war crimes tribunal, let it sit and let it judge Pol Pot as well. I here today, in this House, demand that Pol Pot be brought to justice. Otherwise what you are all saying is rank, sheer hypocrisy.

Let us have recognition for Tibet, let us have a public welcome for the Dali Lama when he visits this country in the coming weeks. Let us have the removal of tyranny from Iran, from Saudi Arabia, from Syria and let us ask the question: what about the Kurds? I listened with great interest to an American military and political strategist saying that there will be nothing done, the Kurds will not be allowed to make a nation, they are a people with a religion, with a culture, with a geographical, political identity. That is one thing the Allies will set themselves against. They are, unfortunately, not interested in human rights.

Ireland lost its opportunity. We could have led the small non-aligned nations in a neutral position and assumed a moral leadership, instead of which we lick-spittled. I am not anti-American but, by God, I am anti-American foreign policy in most of its aspects. I am unashamed to say that and I will defend, on intellectual grounds, the reasons for that. I will not be simply written off as being knee-jerk anti-American. I have taught American students during all my academic career, I value them. There is a lot I respect in America but their foreign policy is something which the friends of America must continue to question.

Dr. Upton

I wish to share my time with my colleague, Senator John Ryan. I too welcome the end of this war. It has come after a period of terrible destruction in the Middle East. There has been terrible loss of life on the Allied side and it has been much worse on the Iraqi side. There has been a terrible destruction of the environment, the full impact of which is not at all understood and I do not think people realise what is waiting for us as a result of the environmental effects of this war.

We must now look to the future and try to learn from this tragedy. This war has been a tragic failure in human relationships, it has been a tragic failure of foreign policies. We must now seek to help the victims of the war. We must consider whatever economic help can be provided. We must consider providing medical aid for those people who have suffered terrible injuries, particularly those people who have suffered terrible burns. We must show compassion for the people who have been victims and for those people who have suffered the most terrible torture in Kuwait during its occupation.

Finally, excessive demands and triumphalism at this stage would be a recipe for disaster. There is a long term. There is an underlying problem in the Middle East and that problem will not go away and it will not be resolved by this victory. There has to be a solution, there have to be concessions on all sides and unless that is done we will have more problems further down the road.

Mr. J. Ryan

I would like to voice my support and peace of mind as one who has strong links with America, having been born there, and not belonging to any particular band referred to by Senator Manning. I have the greatest respect for the ordinary people in America, many of whom I spoke to in the last few weeks, who were just as concerned as we were at the outcome of the war. I have lived through Korea and Vietnam. I had relatives involved in both wars and some of my relatives are in the services in this war. There was a job to be done. There was a dictator in Iraq. The unfortunate people of Iraq and Kuwait have suffered a lot of agony and it will take years before the wounds in the Middle East are healed.

I do not want to hear talk of inquests or triumphalism. My first reaction was, thank God the terrible carnage is over. The fire power was frightening. The unfortunate people on the street suffered and there are people now on the sideline waiting to go in and pick up the pieces and make profits out of the destruction of these countries.

Long term there must be a Middle East plan which must include the solution of the terrible problem of the Palestinian refugees. The Gulf is the area where all the problems are at present. I am thankful and grateful to God that the war has ended. Many people have suffered. Plastic bags have gone home. Parents, wives and children have suffered but it is a great relief to us all that is has been brought to an end. All we can do is hope and pray for continued peace in the world.

Mr. Dardis

I would like to share my time with Senator Batt O'Keeffe. May I say at the outset, on behalf of the Progressive Democrats, that we are delighted, happy and relieved that this appalling war with its inhuman and environmental consequences is at an end. I know that is a view that is shared by all sides and by everybody within this House and within this country. But I also want to reject the statement that we have had sheer hypocrisy here this morning from anybody. I reject what Senator Norris said in that respect. Everything that was said here has come from a genuine position and from a genuine heart.

We supported the sanctions in the first place. It was quite obvious that that man was immune to those sanctions, that it would only have led to appalling suffering for the people of Iraq and that the only alternative was to root him out, with all the consequences that implied. I cannot understand why such a small country as ours cannot readily identify with any small country that is subject to aggression by a larger neighbour. That is why we supported the resolution of the United Nations and why we are not neutral in this matter. We are not neutral in the United Nations, the only vehicle to defend the interests of small, vulnerable nations. There is no neutrality on that question. I hope that now all the UN resolutions will be complied with. I would like to separate the Iraqi people from the way Saddam Hussein has behaved and I hope it will be they, rather than the international community, who will remove that gentleman from the position he holds.

We must also be concerned about the hostages which appear to have been removed from Kuwait and the matter of reparations also arises. The allies are to be commended that they have kept casualties down to a minimum. I hope Ireland can contribute, through our own independent way, through the broader European Community and through the UN, to a lasting peace in the Middle East. That must be our enduring aspiration.

Mr. O'Keeffe

I would like to use this opportunity to congratulate the allies on their success in the Gulf War. This morning I would like to take issue with Senator Brendan Ryan who said that there was no moral right for that war. He also used the term "inherent evil"— the question as to how you would get rid of inherent evil arises. Atrocities were perpetrated by an evil man against his own people and latterly against the Kuwaitis. Would that man not continue against the Saudis and others in the Middle East unless somebody cried halt and enough was enough?

My sympathies this morning go out particularly to those who have lost their lives in the war, to those innocent Iraqi people who are the victims of this despot, who have for eight years carried on a warfare that probably none of them wanted but had no choice, who have over the last month suffered enormously because of this maniac. I have a family connection there in that my brother's 20 year old son was in the front line with the American marines for the last month. I know what his parents and family suffered during that time. I know that everybody here shares that concern. This morning forgive me if I delight in the fact that he, and the sons of many other Irish people both in the US and Britain are safe. I say thank God for that.

I agree that something will have to be done at this stage. Saddam Hussein should be put on trial for war crimes. I would support that move.

An Cathaoirleach

I would like to thank Members of the House for the sincerity of their contributions and for the co-operation they have afforded me in expressing views on this matter.