Govt. Would Stop People At The Point Of A Gun From Gathering Evidence At Shannon

national | anti-war / imperialism | other press Wednesday December 07, 2005 15:42 by cynical

That is the simple truth of the matter.

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EXTRACT: "Mr Ahern repeated that if anybody had evidence to demonstrate that prisoners were unlawfully transferred through Irish territory, it should be passed on. "We are not aware of any such evidence," he said.

Mr Rabbitte said he was not talking about military aircraft landing with prior approval, but ostensibly civilian commercial aircraft landing. "It is not enough for the Taoiseach to say if anybody has evidence, will they give it to the gardaí in Sixmilebridge. How am I supposed to get evidence? I am asking questions as an Opposition politician in this House." He asked if Mr Ahern had taken the assurances at face value, adding that former president Mary Robinson had spoken about the Government's constitutional duty for law enforcement in this jurisdiction.

"We are not supposed to take assurances on a matter as grave as this at face value, given the recent track record," Mr Rabbitte said, adding that offering the prospect of bringing forward evidence to gardaí was "ludicrous"."