Madam, - Piaras MacEinrí's comparison (October 21st) of the transfer of US troops through Shannon to the shipment of Zyklon B canisters in Nazi Germany would be unintentionally ironic were it not so patently odious and unfair.
Unlike Hitler's regime in the 1930s and 1940s, George Bush's administration is not conducting a policy of mass extermination. On the other hand, there is evidence that Saddam Hussein gassed the March Arabs after the 1991 Gulf War, as part of a mass extermination campaign. - Yours, etc.,
SIMON WOODWORTH, Ballywilliam, Belgooly, Co Cork.
Madam, - Why on earth do the members of Dáil Éireann think they will help Margaret Hassan by voting unanimously to deplore her capture, when a majority of them voted to support the conquest and occupation of Iraq by allowing thousands upon thousands of US soldiers to pass through Shannon Airport?
Why on earth does this right-wing, imperialist FF/PD Government think giving Ms Hassan an Irish passport will make any difference, when the Irish passport, once a symbol of an independent Irish Republic, is now the symbol of a state that is happy to earn money from landing rights from US troops on their way to gain control of the oil of Iraq and to consolidate US/Israeli military domination of the Middle East? - Yours, etc.,
ROGER COLE, Peace & Neutrality Alliance, Blackrock, Co Dublin.
Madam, - The recent abduction of Margaret Hassan only serves to show what a state of utter chaos Iraq has been plunged into, when a woman who, by all accounts, has dedicated a large portion of her life to working towards bettering the conditions of the common Iraqi is rewarded by this horrible act.
For all the efforts the Irish Government may make to free this woman, its members must know they share some of the blame for her abduction, through their cowardly acceptance of Bush and his neo-conservative agenda. Such acceptance has helped to bring about this terrible situation. - Yours, etc.,
DONAL GRIFFIN, Osprey Avenue, Templeogue, Dublin 6W.
Madam, - As the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs emphasise in the Dáil Margaret Hassan's status as an Irish citizen, Senator David Norris stands up in the Seanad to voice the opposing view that we would be better to conceal it (The Irish Times, October 21st).
Yet all three seem to share a peculiar predilection for appeasement - and the degree to which we are a neutral country serves only as an indicator of our chances of achieving this all-consuming end. - Is mise,
AIDAN O'DONOGHUE, The Park, Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6.
Madam, - It is time we stopped fudging and faced the implication of the Irish Government's support for the continued American occupation of Iraq by allowing its warplanes to refuel at Shannon Airport. At least David Norris in the Senate debate has the courage openly to expose the bankruptcy of this Irish policy.
I believe this Government's misguided and immoral policy, cynically articulated by Mr Martin Cullen as "good for business", is not supported by the majority of Irish people. Just like Tony Blair in Britain, Bertie Ahern is brazenly failing to represent the view of the electorate.
We should do the right thing and stop US troops using Shannon. Only then can we act as honest brokers.
Maybe we could have a referendum on the subject and some clarity may then emerge. - Yours, etc.,
BRENDAN BUTLER, NGO Peace Alliance, Phibsborough Road, Dublin 7.
Madam, - So, Ireland is for sale, as Mr Cullen sees it. If you pay enough, you can do anything you like. - Yours, etc.,
KATHARINE F. HAMILTON, Durrow, Portlaoise, Co Laois.