Madam, - I can only assume that Dermot Brangan of the Department of Foreign Affairs (July 1st) deliberately misread my article of June 29th on Palestine and the Irish EU presidency for polemical reasons.
In my piece I cited the late Brian Lenihan's policy on the Middle East as "the most pro-Palestinian" within the EU, while lamenting that its insistence on the minimalist definition of Palestinian rights and Israeli obligations was still "unpalatable" to certain other EU governments as well as Israel.
This is not the same thing as "implying that. . .Brian Lenihan. . .took a minimalist policy towards Palestinian rights", in Mr Brangan's paraphrase.
Many supporters of the Palestinian cause, within and outside Ireland, looked forward eagerly to the Irish EU presidency precisely because we hoped that the Irish Government, with its relatively honourable record in this regard, might exercise some beneficial influence over its EU partners.
However, as Mr Brangan's letter makes clear, nothing has changed: Israel, the transgressor under international law, continues to have a veto over progress, and the Palestinians continue to be deprived of the international protection to which they are entitled. - Yours, etc.,
RAYMOND DEANE,
Chairman,
Ireland Palestine
Solidarity Campaign,
Dublin 1.