It’s claimed that Fianna Fail led governments turned a ‘blind eye’ to US flights passing through shannon Airport, and the possibility that they were being used by the CIA to illegally transport terror suspects.
Previously unpublished diplomatic cables show officials and Ministers here took ‘on faith’ US assurances that Shannon Airport was not being used for so-called rendition flights.
According to a report in today’s Irish Independent, former Taoiseach Bertie Ahern asked then US Ambassador James Kenny, quote, ‘am I alright on this?’ rather than launching a program of inspections.
His successor Brian Cowen also refused to alter the arrangements, stressing his support for the use of the Midwest Airport within a month of taking office, a stance repeated by Enda Kenny during President Obama’s visit here last month
A seperate cable outlined the importance of the US Military’s use of Shannon to both governments, with a US official describing it as ‘a key transit point’ which yielded ‘significand revenues for the airport and regional economy.’
Despite this, the newspaper claims Ireland resisted pressure from the US government to grant a special status to troops using Shannon.
