The Dáil will debate US military access to Shannon airport if a war with Iraq breaks out, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen said today.
In a weekend interview with AFP, Mr Cowen asserted the Government's belief that a US-led assault against Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime must hinge on a fresh UN Security Council resolution. "A new UN resolution would provide the best basis for any military action if it is to be regarded as legitimate," he said.
"It is the best way to guarantee legitimacy. It is our view that we need a further resolution." Mr Cowen added: "Where there's military action authorised by the UN, our position is that we will support it."
But he also said that if a war erupts, with or without a UN resolution, the Dáil would debate continued US use of Shannon airport as a transit point for transport planes crossing the Atlantic.
Mr Cowen said: "The current situation is that we have had a long standing arrangement for about 50 years regarding transit of military personnel and military aircraft through our airspace, through our airports."
"There are certain guidelines we apply," he said, adding that such arrangement were "not specific" to the United States.
US military aircraft which transit through Shannon for fuel and crew rests "go to all (American) bases (overseas) - not just to the Gulf area but Turkey, Afghanistan, Eritrea," he said.
But he added: "In the event of any military action being taken, whether it is in relation to a further UN resolution or any action by others outside a resolution, we would review the situation with a debate in our national parliament." Ireland voted in favor of Resolution 1441, which compelled Iraq to accept the on-going round of UN arms inspections, when it held a non-permanent seat in the UN Security Council last year.
It will find itself in a position of influence again in the first half of 2004 when it holds the rotating presidency of the European Union - a role that includes setting the agenda of EU foreign policy.
"We've always been supportive of the United Nations," Mr Cowen said, explaining that UN membership was as much a part of Irish foreign policy as the nation's long-held principle of military neutrality.
"The essential characteristic of military neutrality relates to the fact that we're not members of mutual defence pacts," he said.
"We're not neutral, and have never been neutral, in relation to advancing UN resolutions," he said. "We believe in the pursuance of solutions consistent with international law."
"It's not the case that Ireland does not have a view," he added. "Ireland has a very strong view in relation to international relations. We regard the UN as a cornerstone of the maintenance of international order and security."
AFP