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US Navy ammunition ships cry off Cork visit national |
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news report
 Sunday August 11, 2002 15:11 by John Jefferies - The Workers' Party (Cork) wpcork at eircom dot net 15, Fr. Mathew Quay, Cork. 021-4270409
 Opposition deters tank carrying ships According to Ireland on Sunday (11th August 2002) the two US Navy ammunition ships bound for Cork have changed their mind about the visit.
Cork Workers’ Party spokesman Ted Tynan, who had led calls for the ships to be banned from Irish waters, said he was delighted with the news and has called on the government to ensure that Ireland would cease to be an “aircraft carrier” for the United States, including the cancellation of refuelling facilities at Shannon Airport. “This is a major victory for those who oppose the militarisation of Ireland. Next week there will be a mobilisation at Shannon Airport in opposition to the use of this civil airport as a military base by the United States or any other nation. The cancellation of the visit by these two death ships is a great encouragement to our campaign to defend Irish neutrality”, said Mr. Tynan. The ships in question, the Eugene A. Obregon and Lt. Harry L. Martin carry spare parts, ammunition and military hardware including M1-A1 Abrams battle tanks and howitzer trucks. The M1 Abrams tank is described by the US military as having ‘sufficient capability to successfully close with and destroy any opposing armored fighting vehicle in the world’ “While we do not know the details of this u-turn came about, the proposed visit totally contradicted the governments’ claims to have guaranteed Irish neutrality under the Seville Declaration which was designed to dupe people into supporting the Nice Treaty. However, as long as Shannon and the Irish ports continue to be used as quasi-military bases, Irish neutrality is severely compromised”. Mr. Tynan also noted that a number of French naval corvettes are presently tied up on Custom House Quay in Cork city centre. “The Fianna Fail / PD government have a very strange view of neutrality and cannot be trusted on this issue”, he stated. |
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Comments (5 of 5)
Jump To Comment: 5 4 3 2 1It is very important for Ireland to remain neutral. If Ireland, in anyway, is complicit in the U.S.A.'s Second Iraqi War it will be associating with war crimes of Britan and the U.S.A. Since the "end" of the First Iraqi War around half a million Iraqi children alone have died as a result of the embargo and bombing. At this point we don't know if the U.S.A. will use nuclear weapons, or other weapons of mass destruction, to achieve it's ends. Are the people of Ireland willing to have the blood of innocents on their hands even if it is associated indirectly? Economic considerations are important to take into account. But, to be concerned with your own wallets over American tourit money is selfish and short sighted. Leaders always tell their people that during war sacrifices have to be made. Sacrifices have to be made for peace too. If tourism is to be adversely affected by Ireland's neutrality then that is better than Ireland being the comfort brigade in this soon-to-be immoral and illegal war.
We have all got to think carefully about the effects this type of protest could have on the country’s tourist trade, especially since one of our biggest earner’s and source of employment has still not fully recovered from the effects of September 11. All these U.S. forces would spend money in the ports they visit, something that would be very welcome in those areas. The forces being assisted by our government spend considerable sums at Shannon duty free; there would be a very profitable spin off if further help were given to our friends and allies as part of the war against terrorism. We would then have the crews of F-16’s and AC-130’s visiting our country and leaving with a positive impression of Ireland and our solidarity with them re the war on terror. It might even be possible that remote areas of the country could be set aside for further training.
Perhaps there was some sort of agreement between the
US and the Irish govts, that allowing to ships to dock
would only help support the No to NICE campaign, by
raising the profile of our neutrality (or lack of it)
in the media.
They will undoubtfully use this decision now to say:
'Hey look we are neutral -see the ships were not welcome'.
All the while they will be trying to keep the lid on
the Shannon stopover and out of the public gaze.
Would these free democracies include the country whose President stole the election with the help of his brother, the Governor of Florida, and all those nice people his daddy, the former President, appointed to that country's Supreme Court?
As DeValera pointed out years age Ireland is on the side of the free democracies. In the developing struggle between Western liberal civilization and fundamentalist obscurantism the Irish people will back the U.S.-the leader of Western Democracy.