Pat Rabbitte (Dublin South West, Labour)

Will the Taoiseach respond to the growing public concern at home and internationally about aircraft used by the CIA for the purposes of executive rendition landing at various European airports? Will he specifically address the 50 landings at Shannon Airport of which we are aware? The former President, Mrs. Mary Robinson, has made some public comments on the matter. Amnesty International made a statement on the subject in response to a direct request from the Minister for Foreign Affairs. There is growing concern across Europe about this issue.

The information that is now available to us contradicts the assurances given by the US Secretary Of State, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, who has not denied that the transport of prisoners has taken place but has carefully denied that such aircraft have ferried prisoners for the purposes of torture. Such information does not offer much relief to people familiar with the new US definition of "torture". According to today's The Irish Times, the definition was "narrowed significantly in a justice department memo of August 2002". The Irish Times cited the memo which argued that torture is only torture when it involves "physical pain ... equivalent in intensity to the pain accompanying serious physical injury, such as organ failure, impairment of bodily function, or even death". All that Dr. Rice has denied is that such a form of torture has taken place. However, it has been admitted on behalf of the CIA that prisoners might have been transported for the purposes of what is known as "enhanced interrogation". If I had the opportunity, I would read into the record the definition of what is meant by "enhanced interrogation".

Can the Taoiseach outline the assurances which have been given to him by the representatives of the US Government? Most of the activity to which I refer is taking place on foot of the Iraq war. When I questioned the Taoiseach about the war at the time, he said he did not know whether Ireland was a member of the coalition of the willing. I do not know whether he has found that out since then. If Ireland is a friendly country to the US, as the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform has said, it is entitled to receive the assurances to which I refer and to remind the US that while it may land its aircraft at Shannon Airport, such aircraft are liable to inspection. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has restricted his comments to assuring us that nothing untoward is going on. Given that the Taoiseach is so close to the Minister, can he interpret for the House what the Minister meant by "untoward", especially in light of what is in the public domain?

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