The Oireachtas did a very good day's work yesterday when it reconvened to consider last week's terrorist attacks on the United States. The Dβil heard concerned, dignified, and thoughtful contributions from the Taoiseach and party leaders, registering the full horror of the events, their impact on Ireland, and the many policy implications arising from the US and international response to the threats involved. At the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs, Mr John Bruton and Mr Desmond O'Malley forcefully echoed calls by all the party leaders on the Provisional IRA to decommission arms, accept democracy and abandon violence.
There was much consensus in the party statements on Ireland's values and interests in this crisis. Ireland's close and intimate association with the United States was stressed. Indeed, if together with the Irish-born casualties account is taken of the many second and third generation Irish-American deaths among the New York fire services alone, this may rank as the most destructive act of terrorism committed against people of Irish background. If ever there was a time for the Republican movement to draw the obvious conclusion from this fact and begin to put weapons beyond use it is now. They should draw inspiration from Mr Yasser Arafat's decision yesterday to reaffirm his call for a ceasefire with the Israelis, who showed encouraging signs of responding positively by pulling out of all areas under Palestinian rule.
That commonality and what it means for Irish and international policy provided the principal focus of yesterday's Dβil statements. They welcomed the restraint shown so far by the Bush administration, the effort to co-operate with other governments, and the right of the US to defend itself against attack. But there were also pleas that indiscriminate civilian casualties be avoided in any retaliation, for proportional measures in line with international law and United Nations norms to be taken and for seeds of further religious or civilisational conflict to be avoided at all costs.
Squaring these circles will be a great test of the political, diplomatic, and military skills possessed by Mr Bush's administration. In international, as in personal relations, the best friends are those who give candid not sycophantic advice in times of crisis, based on their own values and interests. By that test Ireland's friendship with the United States is in good order.