Madam, - I applaud the Council of Europe for its report on collusion by European countries in the rendition of terrorism suspects.
The Government's response to the report, in which Ireland was judged to be among countries guilty of "intentional or grossly negligent collusion" is scandalous. The refusal to investigate alleged "secret detentions and unlawful inter-state transfers" which are being carried out through Irish airports is simply intolerable. The attitude of blindly accepting "personal assurance" concerning alleged breaches of international law is both stupid and spineless.
The implication seems to be that we don't want to risk hurting America's feelings by carrying out inspection and monitoring, when in fact we would merely be asserting our status as a sovereign state. Action of this kind is not hostile, nor even unfriendly, and could not possibly be judged as such by a nation with as stringent a border control policy as the US. Ireland can only benefit by affirming its commitment to European policy and international law. - Yours, etc,
RYAN KENNY, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.
Madam, - The objectivity and political judgment of any Government which says it accepts "absolute assurances" from a regime whose aggressive and brutal foreign policy is based largely on deceit, duplicity and downright lies, has to be seriously called into question.
It is immeasurably sad that a once proud country such as ours, which for so long was harshly oppressed by an imperial power, should now make itself a willing tool of a latter-day imperial bully boy, namely America.
Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern should take courage and display some principle. Is Ireland a member-state of the European Union or of the United States of America? - Yours, etc,
GEAROID KILGALLEN, Crosthwaite Park South, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin.