Clare Daly (Dublin North, United Left) | Oireachtas source

The Minister is a member of the Cabinet and has opinions and is touted as a future leader of Fine Gael but he cannot hide behind his Department in this matter. The fact that four Departments are involved has been used as a ploy by the Irish State not to give the correct information. It is a bizarre arrangement that military aircraft are allowed to transit on the myth that they are somehow unarmed and not involved in military exercises but civilian aircraft take in the guns and soldiers behind. How the Minister can brazenly say that does not affect our neutrality is beyond belief.

In September 2013, a US carrier, an AC-130W, very similar to the one that carried out the bombing of Kunduz hospital, landed and refuelled at Shannon. It is, I think, the one that forgot to take in the cannon on the wings. Does the Minister think it is acceptable that his personnel would potentially be there to guard such an aircraft which was ultimately involved in a war crime?

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