Madam, - Ireland missed a vital opportunity to register some meaningful form of disapproval of Saudi Arabia's human rights record during the Taoiseach's trade mission last week.
It seems Ireland's moral integrity and political principles paled in the face of the trade mission's thirst for commercial contracts. Mr Ahern and Minister for Enterprise Micheál Martin surrendered all moral principles in pursuit of the bottom line.
Their attitude is in line with Ireland's reluctance to use political leverage (including trading links) with China on the subject of Darfur, where the permanent Security Council member uses its veto to stall or dilute UN resolutions that could bring the conflict to an end.
Moral bankruptcy is again evident where Ireland's aid policy with corrupt recipient countries is concerned. The Government justifies continuing to channel taxpayers' cash through corrupt recipient government structures on the grounds that "it is not our responsibility to defend the action of any African government, but only to ensure that our aid money is well spent".
Ireland has an enviable record in the field of humanitarian assistance and diplomacy. This could be jeopardised by such an ostrich-like approach and by a failure to register disapproval with countries where we have political leverage through aid and trade.
The Taoiseach and Mr Martin should heed Nelson Mandela's advice and have the courage to speak out against injustice if we are to ensure Ireland's voice is heard and respected on the world stage. - Yours, etc,
JOHN O'SHEA, Goal, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin.
Madam, - The Taoiseach and several Cabinet Ministers, who visited Saudi Arabia last week on a trade mission, have refused to make any comment on the appalling human rights situation there.
The delegation should have read the 2006 Report of Human Rights Watch International before they left. It would have presented them with much food for thought.
Saudi judges routinely issue sentences of thousands of lashes as punishment, often carried out in public. Scores of human rights campaigners are not allowed to travel abroad, and Saudi women continue to suffer from severe discrimination in the workplace, at home, and in the courts, and from restrictions on their freedom of movement and their choice of partners.
When President McAleese visited Saudi Arabia in 2005, any women in her presence were required to listen to her from behind a screen.
Last year further restrictions were placed on freedom of expression, and 700 people are being detained without trial for "harbouring extremist thoughts".
Even a cursory glance at any account of the human rights situation in Saudi Arabia shows that the actions of the Saudi government are repugnant to everything that our Republic stands for, yet the Taoiseach and members of the Government refuse to even comment on the issue.
The Government's message is as clear as always: financial considerations first, ethics second. - Yours, etc,
Senator PAUL BRADFORD, Fine Gael Spokesperson on Foreign Affairs, Seanad Éireann, Dublin 2.