US Study of Irish Naval Facilities
Allen asked whether US defence experts had officially studied Irish naval facilities without consulting the Government. Barry said the newspaper report was largely inaccurate and described unsolicited views from a private Washington think tank; after Haughey observed that countries study one another’s facilities without consultation, Barry said the US had denied doing so in this case.
asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on a recent newspaper article which stated that the United States defence experts have completed an official study of naval facilities in Ireland without the Irish Government being consulted on the matter.
Comment on this
I presume that the Deputy's question refers to a report which apeared in The Sunday Tribune newspaper of 6 January 1985. That report was largely inaccurate.
I understand that a private civilian "think tank", the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, provided unsolicited views to the US Department of Defence on the importance of European neutral countries to NATO. It is a matter of public record that in March 1984 testimony was given to a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations of the US House of Representatives on completed, on-going, and proposed US Department of Defence policy studies. One of several examples cited as a proposal for the US fiscal year 1985 concerned the relationship of US and NATO defence policy to the neutral countries of western Europe, including Ireland. I understand, however, that the study was not approved and was not proceeded with. I have also been informed that no study of this scope and nature is contemplated.
Comment on this
Will the Minister confirm that it is very likely that a team of US defence experts have completed officials studies of naval facilities in the USSR without consulting the USSR Government?
Comment on this
Major powers behave in strange ways. In fact a report was submitted to the Soviet Government about three months ago on Irish neutrality. It made interesting reading and there were some interesting quotations in it.
Comment on this
I am quite certain that countries around the world carry out studies on each other's naval facilities without bothering to consult the government in question.