Order of Business - 20th December 2007

Order of Business - 20th of December 2007
I welcome the fact that the motion on Ingrid Betancourt would be passed unanimously and I congratulate those who have persisted in pushing this matter. I gather the motion is in the name of all of us. It is a matter I raised some years ago, but others have brought it to this successful conclusion and I congratulate and compliment them.
In the light of this agreement and the easy passage of this motion, I ask the Leader to consider, not of course today but at the opening of the next session, the similar passage of No. 11, motion 8, which is a motion about the production, stockpiling and use of cluster munitions.
Senator Ivor Callely: Hear, hear.
Senator David Norris: This should have an easy passage because yesterday at the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs this was tabled in the names of Deputy M. Higgins and myself and it was passed unanimously. It is an important matter on which Ireland should take a stance. We will be holding a conference on this subject in Ireland and in advance of this conference it would be useful if we passed this motion and assisted the Government in the production of legislation.
Senator Ivor Callely: Hear, hear.
Senator David Norris: The other matter I want to raise was also generated by the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs. Yesterday we had a meeting with a former distinguished Member of this House, Dr. Maurice Manning, who is now the head of the Irish Human Rights Commission. He presented to us the views of the Human Rights commission on the question of rendition and, in particular, the involvement of Shannon Airport. There was a robust exchange of views between a small number of us who supported the commission and others who tended to waffle a bit.
It is an important matter. The 22nd Seanad examined the matter in considerable detail and was well on the way to establishing a special committee of Seanad Éireann to investigate it. Regrettably, that was aborted but we now have this useful report. We should examine this, particularly in light of the fact that I was able yesterday to put on record the registration numbers of two CIA aircraft still using Irish air space which landed and were refuelled at Shannon Airport in the past six weeks and which have been known to be involved in rendition. Despite the protestations of the Government and despite the fact that they routinely answer questions that are not asked, this practice is continuing.
Nobody I know has asserted that we know that people were dragged through Shannon Airport. It may have happened - we do not know. However, I managed to get the Government to accept yesterday that we know that in the unbroken circuit of rendition, in which civilians were kidnapped and taken to places of torture, this country assisted by refuelling those planes. That is a blot on the name of Ireland.