Sea change on Shannon
overflights
Vincent Browne
Irish Times
9 April 2003
On July 21st, 1959, a
Mr Kimber from the British
embassy in Dublin called
on the secretary of the
Department of External
Affairs, Mr Cornelius
Cremin, to make a request
for military facilities.
The British Navy Anti-Submarine
School, based in Derry,
had wanted to carry out
anti-submarine exercises
by helicopters at a point
about 100 miles west of
Derry, a distance then
beyond the normal range
of helicopters. The problem
could be overcome if the
Irish government agreed
to allow the helicopters
to be refuelled on Inistrahull
Island, which is part
of the territory of the
Irish State. The idea
was to establish a dump
of 40-gallon petrol drums
on the island, which could
be used by the helicopters.
The man from the British
embassy was able to bolster
his case. These Derry-based
helicopters had been engaged
frequently in humanitarian
sea rescues of Irish nationals
and others and, the implication
was, it was a fair quid
pro quo for the Irish
to give these insignificant
refuelling rights on a
deserted island.
Mr Cremin wrote a memorandum
on the issue that same
day and in it he stated:
"It is difficult
to see how this request
could be acceded to. The
islands mentioned (Tory
Island was also mentioned
as a location) are as
much part of the national
territory as Stephen's
Green. It is known that
we give permission for
the landing in our territory
of unarmed military planes
engaged on peaceful duty,
e.g. US army planes carrying
US personnel for leave
in Ireland or in transit
to the USA. It is quite
another thing to give
permission not only for
aircraft engaged on warlike
exercises to land on our
territory but also to
use our territory as a
refuelling base for such
exercises."
On August 6th of that
year, Mr Kimber called
again at the Department
of External Affairs. At
this meeting, Mr Cremin
informed him that his
request had been considered
"at the highest level"
and, Mr Cremin noted in
a memorandum after the
meeting, "It was
with regret that I had
to tell him that for reasons
of which he would be well
aware the reply was unfavourable."
A year earlier, on September
18th, 1958, Mr Cremin
wrote to his opposite
number in the Department
of the Taoiseach. In the
letter he conveyed that
an approach had been made
to his Department by the
American embassy enquiring
what the response of the
Irish government would
be to a request for overflight
rights for US military
aircraft "on the
clear understanding"
that these aircraft would
be unarmed and would be
engaged solely in conveying
cargo (supplies and foodstuffs)
and passengers.
Mr Cremin noted that these
flights could serve indirectly
to help certain American
military operations, but
that in a time of peace
there was nothing in international
law which prevented a
country from authorising
such flights. His minister
(Frank Aiken) was "disposed"
to accede to a formal
request from the American
embassy on such overflights
"subject to the understanding
that, in the event of
a serious deterioration
in the political situation
in Europe or the Middle
East it (the authorisation)
would lapse". On
October 23rd, 1983, Proinsias
De Rossa asked the minister
for foreign affairs, Mr
Peter Barry, about the
use of Shannon Airport
as a transit point for
US military personnel
being transported between
West Germany and north
America. Mr Patrick Cooney,
the former minister for
justice and then minister
for posts and telegraphs,
replied to the question
on behalf of Mr Barry.
He said requests for foreign
military overflights and
landings were considered
in the light of long-standing
procedures and criteria.
These included:
That clearance should
be consistent with the
government's foreign policy,
as expressed in Dáil
Éireann, in the
UN and elsewhere.
That the overflight or
military landing must
not be an integral part
of training manoeuvres
by foreign military aircraft;
likewise, clearance is
not granted where a troop-carrying
aircraft is en route to
military exercises.
That clearance be in no
way prejudicial to the security
or safety of the State.
The late Mr Brian Lenihan
made approving noises from
the opposition benches.
When minister for foreign
affairs himself on May 2nd,
1989, Mr Lenihan repeated
these criteria and added
"that the aircraft
be unarmed, not carry arms,
ammunition or explosives
and not engage in intelligence-gathering".
Following September 11th
and the passing by the
UN of Resolution 1368,
the policy has undergone
a radical change.
In purporting to comply
with Resolution 1368 (the
basis on which the US engaged
in war on Afghanistan),
the Government relaxed the
stipulations concerning
the use of Shannon by US
military aircraft. And with
the war on Iraq the stipulations
have been abandoned even
without the cover of a UN
resolution.
Bertie Ahern argued in the
Dáil on March 20th
last that allowing the US
military to use Shannon
represented no change of
policy. |