Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I am in favour of holding accountable all people who commit crimes, and I am talking about people on both sides. The Minister says the EU is working towards a genuine and inclusive political transition but I get the impression that "political transition" also refers to regime change. They went into Iraq to implement regime change and look at the mayhem they have left behind them. As bad as Saddam was, things were not as bad as they are now. As bad as Gaddafi, was, things were not as bad under him as they are now. The whole region has been destroyed in so many ways by military intervention. It is nonsense and it does not work. There is not going to be a military solution in Syria. It is possible to get everybody talking but those in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar get arms from the British and the Americans, and they have been giving them to extreme groups that have totally escalated what has happened in Syria. It is illogical.

I understand there is a very pro-US position in the EU and that there is also one here, and the evidence of that is that we are still allowing Shannon to be used as a US military air base. For the life of me, I do not understand how we can still do it. Surely the Minister will have to admit that, as bad as things were with Obama, it has become more dangerous. Watching Trump talking about eating chocolate cake when the news came through that the air strikes took place is frightening. Only recently, Trump made it plain to the military and the CIA that they could make their own decisions on the ground as to where and when to bomb and use drones. Under Obama, as bad as it was, the decisions were run through the White House bureaucracy and it involved lawyers. With Trump, the attitude is, "Don't worry about the limits or the lawyers. If you feel the need to bomb somewhere, go for it". We are talking about people who have a vested interest in promoting the arms industry. We have to disassociate ourselves from this military activity. We have to take a neutral position. I do not expect the Irish Government to support Assad or the Russians but I wish to God we were not supporting the US military effort either.

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