Sign up to The Irish Times Archive (1859 - 2008)My Account »

The Taoiseach insisted that the attack on Iraq was not a pre-emptive strike and said the Government did not intend withdrawing overflight facilities from the US in Shannon Airport.

Mr Ahern said the view of Ireland and other countries was that it would have been better to have a political imperative with a further UN resolution, whether it was a legal certainty or not.