The Government is continuing to insist that it is not supporting the US war on Iraq despite an apparent admission by the Taoiseach that the US may see Ireland as a supporter, writes Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent.
A Government spokeswoman repeated last night that Ireland was not supporting the war on Iraq either privately or publicly despite allowing US military overflights and landings to continue.
Her comments follow Mr Ahern's statement that he presumes the US has this State on its list of private supporters of military action.
Mr Ahern told the Dáil yesterday that he had heard an American official say that people who allowed overflights were included on their list. "So I presume we would be."
Pressed again by the Labour leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, who asked whether Ireland was on the US list he said: "I presume then that we would be."
The list referred to by Mr Rabbitte is of 15 States which the US says is secretly supporting the war on Iraq. The US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell has said these states "do not yet wish to be publicly named".
The list is described by the US Armed Forces Press service as those which have privately assured the US they are supportive "but for internal political reasons cannot be open about their support".
The US has made it clear that it sees the provision of overflight and landing facilities for military aircraft en route to the war as support, while the Government here does not.
The Government spokeswoman said last night that the Government had no control over who was on the US list.
If it was a list of states providing overflight facilities, then it was correct to put Ireland on it. If it was a list of supporters of the war or members of the "coalition of the willing", then it was wrong to put Ireland on it, she said.