US War Machine Out of Shannon - Ó Broin
Speaking today at the Irish Anti War Movements anti war demonstration at the Fianna
Fáil Ard Fheis in West Dublin, Sinn Féin candidate for Dún Laoghaire Eoin
Ó Broin has said, "Lets make this war an election issue. The Fianna Fáil/PD
government must end its collusion with US & British military aggression.
It must end the use of Irish airports and airspace by the US military and
CIA, and it must join the Irish people in doing everything in
its power
to bring this war to an end".
Full text of Mr Ó
Broin's speech:
"Since the US/British led invasion of
Iraq, between 59,000 & 65,000 people
have been killed.
The
last 12 months has been by far the worst year for violence against
civilians
Almost
half of all violent civilian deaths after the initial invasion phase
occurred
in the fourth year of the conflict
Mortar attacks that kill
civilians have quadrupled in the last year.
Massive bomb blasts
that kill more than 50 people have nearly doubled in the
last year.
Fatal
suicide bombs, car bombs, and roadside bombing attacks have doubled in
the
last year.
One in 160 of Baghdad's 6.5 million population has
been violently killed
since the beginning of the war, representing 64%
of deaths recorded so far.
More than 60,000 dead. Hundreds of
thousands injured. Millions of lives
affected. And still these figures
can not describe the instability and
insecurity that constitutes the
daily life of ordinary people in Iraq every
single day.
This
chaos is the direct consequence of the decisions, taken four years ago,
in
Washington and London, to invade Iraq, and commence a war without legal,
political
or ethical foundation.
Many of us who were campaigning at that
time said that such a war would lead
to massive loss of human life,
prolonged political instability, and a
regional crisis of untold
proportions.
Today, looking at the US/British inspired chaos in
Iraq, we should take no
comfort in saying that we were right.
The
war was founded on a lie. It is being prosecuted to serve the selfish
strategic
and economic interests of political elites in Washington and
London,
and their allies in Iraq.
The only solution, is to end the
occupation NOW, and allow the Iraqi people
to determine their our
course of action in rebuilding their country.
Despite the
governments official policy of neutrality, and the Irish peoples
opposition
to this war, Fianna Fáil and the PDs are complicit in this
horrific
picture.
More than 500,000 US troops have passed through Shannon
Airport since the
beginning of 2003, an act in flagrant violation of
Irish neutrality. This
government is in serious violation of
International law and its
international human rights obligations.
The
United States should be denied the use of any and all Irish airports. US
military
and intelligence agencies have been using Shannon airport as part
of
the infrastructure for their illegal programme of extraordinary
rendition.
The blind eyes turned by many European governments, including our
own,
has allowed the United States to kidnap individuals and transport them
to
locations where they may be subjected to torture, inhumane and degrading
treatment
in direct contravention of the most basic international human
rights
laws.
An unambiguous message must be sent to the United States
Administration and
to the Fianna Fáil/PD government that their
activities are unacceptable,
that the Irish people will not tolerate
them, and that in the upcoming
election their will be a price to pay
for complicity in this illegal and
appalling war.
Lets make
this war an election issue. The Fianna Fáil/PD government must end
its
collusion with US & British military aggression. It must end the use of
Irish
airports and airspace by the US military and CIA, and it must join the
Irish
people in doing everything in its power to bring this war to an
end."ENDS