Regards, Ivan
Posted on 02/09/2003 2:12:08 AM PST by MadIvan
Former First Lady Clinton calls on Ireland's support for military action to disarm Saddam Hussein in 'a war that involves all of us'
HILLARY CLINTON has called on Ireland to back the US in a war against Iraq, declaring: "The war against terrorism is a war that involves all of us."
The former First Lady, who is tipped as a future US Presidential candidate, urged the Irish government and people to get off the fence and support America's efforts to rid Saddam Hussein of his weapons of mass destruction.
She said: "The people of Ireland will, as they have done so many times before, be supportive of our efforts to try to prevent problems that would come to haunt our children."
Asked about protests at Shannon Airport, Mrs Clinton said: "I hope the Irish Government and the Irish people support our men and women in uniform, should they have to take military action to disarm Saddam Hussein."
In an interview to be broadcast on TV3 today, Mrs Clinton said that the "stakes are very high", not just for the Middle East and the US, but "for the entire civilised world".
Commenting on the debate in Ireland about Iraq, she said: "I fully support freedom of speech. I would like greater debate. I think it's good for a democracy, and I respect Ireland tremendously."
Asked if opposition to the US here might hit the business relationship between both countries, she said: "I don't think it will have an effect on our doing business."
Mrs Clinton said the principal reason that Iraq was considered an important place for America to focus on was because of the proliferation of weapons which could potentially end up in the hands of "rogue states like Iraq or rogue terrorist groups".
Her comments will put further pressure on the Government to openly support America in its stance against Iraq, and to continue to supply refuelling facilities at Shannon even if the US goes to war without a second UN resolution.
Despite Mrs Clinton's remarks, within the context of US Secretary of State Colin Powell's case for war against Iraq, the majority of Irish people were not convinced by his presentation.
Asked in a Sunday Independent telephone poll whether they were convinced by his case against Iraq, a resounding 87 per cent said they were not, while only 13 per cent were convinced.
Mrs Clinton's call came in advance of a crucial meeting between chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix and Mohamed El-Baradei and the Baghdad regime.
The outcome of the talks could help set a course towards or away from war in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the Irish Army role "in aid to the civil power" in Shannon is to be reviewed this week by senior Garda and Army officers in the light of the latest threat assessment to the airport. They are expected to stay in Shannon for several weeks. The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, who admitted he was embarrassed by three attacks by "peace protesters" on US aircraft, ordered the deployment.
Mrs Clinton's interview with David McWilliams can be seen on TV3's Agenda between 12 noon and 1pm, repeated at 6pm.
Yesterday, US President George Bush braced America for a possible war with Iraq, saying it must be prepared to act if the UN Security Council backs down.
"The United States, along with a growing coalition of nations, will take whatever action is necessary to defend ourselves and disarm the Iraqi regime," Bush said in his weekly radio address.
Regards, Ivan
Browne, Paul and Buchanan backing the French and U.N.
Can this get any stranger?
Isn't THAT the truth !?
Thanks for the post, MadIvan !
I'm British. I've lived under the threat of the IRA. Yet I would never say such things about Ireland.
Ireland in some ways is more advanced than we - for example, they ban abortion. In many ways, they have come on in the past 20-30 years - to the point where their GDP per head is greater than that of Germany.
It is also the land of "saints and scholars" - where would we be if Ireland had not been a repository of civilisation's knowledge during the Dark Ages?
No, I am not willing to condemn Ireland as a whole. Their neutrality was born of a time when it was sensible for a small nation to duck and cover - the same holds true for Switzerland. It is less sensible now, but I think the Irish realise that.
Regards, Ivan
I am an O'Donnell, and I believe that I can speak with some authority on this. The Irish sat out WWI AND WW II- gaining the benefits without making the sacrifices. (This does not apply to the many men of Irish descent who served in the Allied armies).
Bingo! (and a technicolor yawn in Hillary's direction)
What is the media establishment like in Ireland, Ivan? I am shocked by their poll results where 87% feel Powell did not make his case before the UN. I'm curious how their media presented the case as it is obvious the people polled must not have watched or read his presentation.
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