Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Of course I have views and the bombing at Kunduz was a tragedy that should not have happened, but I am Minister for Defence and the role of the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces in Shannon Airport is very clear, just as the role of the Department of Justice and Equality on security issues is clear. Within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the policy decisions are clear. In the context of a foreign affairs policy decision and our decision to remain militarily non-aligned and a neutral country, that policy has been confirmed in the White Paper on Defence, just as it was confirmed in the foreign policy paper produced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Deputy Flanagan. If we felt that what happens in Shannon Airport undermined that policy we would have to deal with that, but we do not.

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