Dermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)

Ireland, along with its EU partners, condemns all acts of terrorism, regardless of their target or motivation. Terrorism can never be justified by any cause, reason or ideology. It places the lives of innocent people at risk and undermines tolerance, openness and respect for fundamental freedoms in society.

With regard to the general thrust of the Deputy's question, and as I have made clear in my replies to his many previous parliamentary questions on this matter, I am not in a position to comment in any substantive way due to the imprecise nature of the allegations. However, with regard to the mid-air bombing of a civilian aircraft, I assume the Deputy is referring to the 1976 bombing of Cubana Airlines flight 455, in which all 73 people on board died. Two individuals, Mr. Orlando Bosch and a Mr. Luis Posada Carriles, were detained and charged in Caracas with the bombing of flight 455 in 1976. Neither was convicted. Mr. Carriles escaped detention in 1985, while Mr. Bosch was released two years later.

Since May 2005, Mr. Carriles has been detained in US custody, charged with illegally entering US territory. The US Government has decided not to grant the extradition requests for Mr. Carriles submitted by the Venezuelan and Cuban authorities. It is my understanding that this decision was based on the principle of non-refoulement. This principle, which is contained in article 3.1 of the United Nations Convention against Torture, requires states not to expel, return or extradite persons to another state where there are substantial grounds for believing they would be in danger of being subjected to torture.

These cases are legal, bilateral matters between the countries concerned and are not cases on which it would be appropriate for the Government to take a position. Consequently, I do not intend to raise these cases at UN or EU level.

The overriding objective of Ireland and our EU partners in our relations with Cuba is to encourage a process of transition to pluralist democracy and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, as set out in the European Union's 1996 common position on Cuba. The validity of the 1996 common position was reaffirmed by the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 12 June 2006.

The European Union believes that critical engagement with the Cuban Government, alongside dialogue with wider Cuban civil society, is the most effective way to promote peaceful change in Cuba. The European Union has emphasised its willingness to co-operate with Cuba on the basis of a dialogue with the Cuban Government and Cuban civil society, as soon as the Cuban Government shows the political will to engage in a dialogue aimed at tangible results, especially in the field of human rights and political freedom, the restriction of which remains a matter of deep concern to us in Ireland and in the EU generally. In this regard, I again urge the Cuban Government to release all prisoners of conscience and to respect internationally acknowledged principles and practices.

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