Cabinet set to approve use of Army to guard US planes

The Cabinet is today expected to approve the deployment of Irish soldiers to guard US military planes refuelling at Shannon Airport…

The Cabinet is today expected to approve the deployment of Irish soldiers to guard US military planes refuelling at Shannon Airport after US officials conveyed their "serious concerns" to the Government after another attack on a plane. By Mark Hennessy, Political Reporter.

Last night, a US State Department spokesman told The Irish Times: "We have today conveyed our serious concerns to the Government about security at Shannon, and we have agreed to work with the Government to solve this problem."

It is understood the concern was conveyed by American embassy staff in Dublin to senior Department of Foreign Affairs officials.

The use of Army personnel was being considered by the Governdment after peace activists yesterday broke into a hangar at Shannon Airport, damaging the same US navy aircraft for the second time in a week.

READ MORE

The request for the use of soldiers came from the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, who yesterday discussed the matter with the Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieut Gen Colm Mangan, yesterday. He also met senior Garda officers and Aer Rianta officials in Shannon to discuss improved security measures.

Despite tough words from the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, and the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, there is considerable concern within the Government about using the Defence Forces to protect Gulf-bound US aircraft.

Sharply critical of the anti-war protesters, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, declared: "Maybe we were a bit over-tolerant of peaceful protesters, when they are not peaceful protesters, carrying hammers, lump hammers and pick-axe handles."

Refuelling of military and civilian aircraft provides 40 per cent of Shannon's revenues, he said

. "There is a real danger that we would lose that. That would be devastating for Shannon."

Meanwhile, the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has been accused of exaggerating the scale of yesterday's incident after he wrongly claimed that a garda had to be taken to hospital afterwards.

Condemning the attackers, Mr Brennan said the garda had "wound up" in hospital after five protesters broke into the hangar housing the US aircraft shortly after 4 a.m. yesterday.

Questioned on this point, the Garda Press Office said the garda had been overpowered: "He tried to stop them damaging the place. He had no physical injuries. He did not go to hospital, but he was seen by a doctor."

Despite the Government's public willingness to deploy soldiers, some figures believe that this will tie Ireland too closely to the US military effort when large sections of the public remain unconvinced.

There are fears such a move could boost numbers at an anti-war rally scheduled for Dublin on February 15th, and divert attention from the attacks on the aircraft.

The latest attack on US aircraft has forced the Green Party, which had condoned last week's attack by a lone protester, into an embarrassing climb-down.

The Green Party leader, Mr Trevor Sargent, compared the attack that caused an estimated €500,000 damage to a US navy aircraft last week to an emergency break-in by a fireman.

Regretting yesterday morning's incident, Mr Sargent said that it was "a distraction" and did not help efforts to keep the campaign focused on Shannon's role in the military build-up for an invasion of Iraq.

The two attacks illustrated that Shannon is not secure, he said.

"The Government cannot have it both ways. If it wants cravenly to continue complying with every US request, then it must protect Shannon," Mr Sargent said.

Mr John Deasy TD of Fine Gael demanded that the Greens "unequivocally condemn" yesterday's attack.