Labhrás Ó Murchú (Fianna Fail)

It is in the nature and tradition of Ireland to be at the forefront in any humanitarian mission in any part of the world and Iraq will be no exception. We are particularly fortunate to have Deputy Tom Kitt as Minister of State at the Department of Foreign Affairs. I hope he does not mind my saying so, but I have been observing him for some time and have been impressed by his work.

I am glad this debate is taking place and I support what the Leader said initially. I made the same point in the House on the occasion of our last debate on Iraq. I would love to see a united front by the Seanad, the Dáil and the people, reaching the common ground on this matter, which I believe there is, even though there may be peripheral issues upon which we disagree. It is always a privilege to be able express one's views in this House openly and honestly. However, with that privilege comes responsibility and accountability to oneself, the electorate and ultimately to all people.

Many of us have wrestled with our consciences on this issue for some time and there is no doubt that it can be a burden. That same conscience-grappling should apply to both ends of the spectrum. In that context, I agree with the words of a churchman who said: "Those who have laid aside the diplomatic role and have gone to war have taken on a huge responsibility in the face of God, in the face of their consciences and in the face of history."

It is particularly important for us to be able to express our views openly. Most of us are trying to seek out a logic and rationale for this. We are reading every piece of literature we can get, listening to radio programmes and watching television programmes. We are questioning our own biases, prejudices and partisanship and still, I believe, we are dealing with an immoral, unjust and illegal war. Of that I have no doubt.

While reading through various articles, I came across the following piece in last Saturday's edition of the Irish Independent which illustrates the difficulty in trying to make sense of what is happening: