A Chara, - In the United States, President Bush's approval ratings stand at a dismal 34 per cent, the opposition Democrats have retaken control of Congress, and hardly anyone believes anything the president says any more about the "war on terror", its origins, its justification, or any of the clandestine, underhand methods employed to prosecute it.
Simultaneously, in agreement with the growing majority across the Atlantic, the European Parliament has concluded that the CIA operated 1,200 rendition flights to countries where suspects could be tortured for information, and that - to their disgrace - 14 EU member-states colluded in this appalling repudiation of human rights.
In pride of place among the Bush apologists stands Ireland, with 147 such flights to its name and its head still stuck firmly in the sand, citing the Bart Simpson defence that nobody saw anything done wrong so you can't prove anything.
When half of the president's own party wouldn't believe a "categoric assurance" from him about the time of the day, what sort of gullible fools do we have over here?
- Is mise,
DAVID CARROLL, Castle Gate, Dublin 2.
Madam, - The European Parliament's report on CIA activities in Europe once again highlights that Ireland's skies and airports are excessively open to abuse of international law by foreign states. The report confirms that Ireland's reliance on US assurances "do not fulfil Ireland's human rights obligations". Amnesty International urges the Government to assert that it will no longer rely on any foreign states' assurances that Irish territory will not be used for "extraordinary renditions" or to violate international law.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern expressed his disappointment that the committee had failed to act on his call for a review of the Chicago Convention. Currently, the Chicago Convention does not require information on passenger, crew or cargo if it is a transit flight, and any strengthening of it is certainly to be welcomed. But there is nothing in the convention to prevent the Irish authorities from demanding this information and refusing clearance if it is not provided.
The Chicago Convention is not responsible for the failure of European states - including Ireland - to take national measures to ensure compliance, and the Irish Government cannot hide behind this excuse.
- Yours, etc,
SEÁN LOVE, Executive Director, Amnesty International, Fleet Street, Dublin 2