Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has flatly rejected ending the United States military's use of Shannon airport as one of the prices of putting together a coalition with Independents, or the Greens.
Speaking very briefly to media in Berlin in advance of a meeting with chancellor Angela Merkel last night, the Taoiseach said bluntly: "I will not change my position on Shannon."
Independent Dublin North Central TD Finian McGrath has given contradictory signals about his attitude to the future use of Shannon, indicating that it "was not one of my Holy Grails" to then saying that he would need change.
Mr McGrath is one of a number of newly elected deputies who signed a letter organised by the Peace and Neutrality Alliance and Irish Anti-War Movement demanding the withdrawal of permission for the US military to fly through Shannon.
In the letter, the signatories said: "We the undersigned give a firm commitment that if elected, we will not participate in any government that allows Shannon airport or other Irish facilities to be used by the United States to conduct war in Iraq or in any other Imperialist war." Independent Dublin Central TD Tony Gregory also signed the letter, along with Sinn Féin TDs Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, Aengus Ó Snodaigh, Arthur Morgan and Martin Ferris.
Significantly, perhaps, none of the six Green TDs elected last Friday was a signatory, although a number of defeated Green candidates, including former MEP Patricia McKenna, did sign it.
The Greens in their manifesto are committed to ending the "use of Shannon airport by US military forces involved in the war in Iraq and insist that any aircraft suspected of involvement in illegal movements of prisoners must be searched".
Last night, Roger Cole of the Peace and Neutrality Agreement said they expected those TDs who signed the letter to honour their pledge to end Shannon's use.
"What credibility would they have if they engaged in some sort of trade-off? Their electorate is broadly of the left and against an imperialist war in Iraq.
"If we help to provide more education for children in the north inner city in Dublin in exchange for helping to kill children in Iraq, that is not a trade-off that I want to make," Mr Cole said.
In its election manifesto, the Labour Party said it would not in government "allow Shannon airport or other Irish facilities to be used for the prosecution of any war or military preparation for such, outside of international law, international humanitarian law or in breach of the charter of the United Nations".
Labour said the "international community should learn from the recent illegally declared war" in Iraq.
"We will institute a regime requiring compliance with human rights obligations that will be implemented through monitoring and inspection measures."
During the election campaign, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said he would not stop Shannon stopovers by US military flights to and from Iraq "because they were happening on the basis of a UN mandate".
However, only three elected Labour TDs, Dublin North East's Tommy Broughan, Dublin Central's Joe Costello and party president, Galway West's Michael D Higgins, signed the pledge.
