Written answers

Tuesday, 6 February 2007

Department of Foreign Affairs

Human Rights Issues

10:00 am

Photo of Joe CostelloJoe Costello (Dublin Central, Labour)
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Question 360: To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will introduce a system of random searches of CIA aircraft landing at airports here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3392/07]

Photo of Dermot AhernDermot Ahern (Louth, Fianna Fail)
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As I have made clear on many occasions, the decision to search a particular aircraft, if and when warranted in accordance with law, would be a matter for An Garda Síochána. The Government's clear objective throughout has been to ensure that our territory is not used for extraordinary rendition purposes. As a result of swift and decisive action on the part of the Government, we received early, clear, and categorical assurances to this effect from the US authorities at the highest level. In this regard, I would draw attention to the fact that such categorical assurances were not given to most other Member States. Moreover, nowhere has it been suggested in the various investigations into extraordinary rendition that Irish territory was used for this purpose. Indeed, the clear implication, including in the recent European Parliament Committee's report, is that no extraordinary rendition took place on Irish territory.

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