Why is the US ambassador to Ireland, Richard Egan, attending a terrorist convention in Dublin?
The convention includes people from Sinn Fein-IRA, ETA, PLO and the FALN from Porto Rico. The first three have close links to Colombia's FARC.
Posted on 09/28/2001 12:23:33 PM PDT by Norn Iron
Sinn Féin activists were looking forward to this weekend's annual conference as an occasion for rallying support for the party's campaign in the forthcoming general election in the Republic.
The conference programme, adorned by a painting by the artist Robert Ballagh, contains the traditional list of motions: calling for a "32-county democratic socialist Republic"; supporting foreign groups, some of which are still actively involved in terrorism; attacking the British government; and calling for the immediate release of IRA "prisoners of war", including the five men imprisoned for the manslaughter of Det Garda Jerry McCabe.
The issue the party wished to see most closely covered, however, concerns its electoral rise in both Northern Ireland and the Republic and the prospects of it achieving sufficient support in the next Dáil election to be in a position to join another large party in coalition government.
Although it may remain unsaid, the clear thinking among delegates will be that some day, Sinn Féin might be in government with Fianna Fáil.
It is expected the ardfheis will reject proposals to take part in Government here after the next election, but the way will be left open for partnership in a future government.
The coalition motions, however, were placed before the arrests of three Irish republicans in Colombia and, more importantly, before the attacks in the US on September 11th.
The IRA has no known involvement with the Al Qaeda terrorist group of Osama bin Laden, thought to be responsible for the attacks in the US.
But it has been shown to have involvement with at least one group that is high up the list of the US's foreign terrorist enemies.
The IRA is now thought to have had close links with FARC in Colombia since 1988 and may still have members working in the Colombian interior with the guerrilla army. FARC is heavily involved in the narcotics trade and is carrying out a massive terrorist and kidnapping campaign aimed at destroying the Colombian State. Earlier this week in Bogota, FARC kidnapped Consuelo Araujonoguera, the wife of Colombia's Attorney General.
The debating of Sinn Féin's possible involvement in coalition in government in the next Dáil posits the question of what foreign relations such a government might seek to pursue with countries, including the US, that oppose FARC's terrorist campaign.
The conference programme contains motions condemning the Colombian government and the US's support for it. The conference is also likely to support calls for Basque independence in deference to the members of Euskal Herritarok, the political wing of the terrorist group, ETA. It is also likely to support calls for the withdrawal of US forces from Puerto Rico.
The motions call for the lifting of sanctions again Iraq and Cuba; support for the anti-government groups involved in terrorist attacks in Turkey; and opposition to US support for Israel.
These are alongside motions that could be proposed at any party political conference, on the environment, health, agriculture and social conditions. There are anti-nuclear, pro-neutrality and ecology themes that are intended to place Sinn Féin alongside the Green Party, as it did during the Nice referendum debate.
The perennial thorny issue of abortion is dropped from this year's conference programme even though it is set to become a major talking point again in this State as the Government seeks to legislate on the issue.
However, all these issues are somewhat academic given the deteriorating political and security situation in the North and the growing hostility towards Sinn Féin in the US in the aftermath of the Colombia arrests.
In the aftermath of the revelations about the IRA's involvement in terrorism in Colombia and in the absence of any significant act of decommissioning, the notion of Sinn Féin's involvement in government in the Republic in the immediate future is a non-starter. In fact, if the IRA does not decommission weapons in a significant way in the next few weeks, it is also likely that Sinn Féin's involvement in government in Northern Ireland may also come to an end as unionists threaten to collapse the Assembly.
The presence of some of the foreign guests at the weekend ardfheis might give rise to further "image" problems for the republicans.
The IRA has had connections with ETA since the 1970s, and it was through ETA that the IRA came in contact with FARC in Colombia. The IRA helped FARC design and produce the heavy mortar system known here as the "barrack buster".
It has also shown ETA how to manufacture the same weapon and devices very similar to those manufactured in the Border area in this island have been found in northern Spain.
In recent years, as the peace process in the North progressed, the Sinn Féin ardfheis has been a magnet for Irish-American politicians. Members of the US Senate and Congress have attended.
Since the events in Colombia and September 11th, US politicians may be less keen to be associated with Sinn Féin.
After the arrests in Colombia in August, some of Sinn Féin's strongest supporters in the US were openly critical. Sinn Féin, however, maintains the position that the arrests in Colombia are "irrelevant".
The ardfheis starts this evening at the RDS and runs to Sunday.
Oh really ? Who pray tell? Not a tubby US senator from Mass known for his aquatic driving skills surely.
Also would you mind not posting articles, especially from the Irish Times, which indicate that the IRA is just another Socialist/Communist front organisation. It really upsets the romantic illusions BoldFenian and Right Wing Profesor have for this organisation.
If Adams does, I have a feeling Bush will tell him to go pound sand. I don't think Gerry is going to be getting any more invites to the White House, thank God! If he does I for one will be very disappointed.
Why is the US ambassador to Ireland, Richard Egan, attending a terrorist convention in Dublin?
The convention includes people from Sinn Fein-IRA, ETA, PLO and the FALN from Porto Rico. The first three have close links to Colombia's FARC.
Very interesting editorial. Given the IRA's widespread international involvement with terrorists, what reason is there to NOT put them on the target list along with bin Laden and the rest of the international terrorists scum?
The Irish terrorists are not on the terrorist register at present because of their influential friends in the Republican and Democratic parties plus Ahern, the Irish taoiseach, and Hume, the recently retired leader of the SDLP, who value their use as 'persuaders' for Irish unity.
I probably don't need to spell out the nature of that persuasion. Let's just say it includes scaled down versions of the attack on the WTC.
In the past they almost wiped out the Thatcher administration and presumably those who carried out the Black Tuesday attack would like to have done the same to the Bush one.
Given the dramatically altered perception of terrorists since 9/11, I should think Blair would have pretty much a free hand to deal with the IRA however he sees fit. It would be difficult for congressmen in the US to critisize RAF Tornado's pounding the IRA into oblivion whilst our B-1's, B-2's, B-52's, and cruise missiles are raining down on the heads of bin Laden and the Taliban.
This, of course, assumes Blair has the desire and willpower to do so, which may well not be the case.
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