VZCZCXRO8822
RR RUEHAG RUEHROV
DE RUEHDL #1284/01 3071258
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 031258Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY DUBLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 7654
INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES
RUEHBL/AMCONSUL BELFAST 0476
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 DUBLIN 001284 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/31/2015 
TAGS: PREL PGOV MARR MOPS PREF EI
SUBJECT: THE AMBASSADOR AND FOREIGN MINISTER DISCUSS 
SHANNON, NORTHERN IRELAND 
 
REF: A. DUBLIN 1020 
 
     ¶B. DUBLIN 1172 
     ¶C. STATE 172627 
 
DUBLIN 00001284  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Jonathan Benton; Reasons 1.4 (B) 
 and (D). 
 
¶1.  (C) Summary.  In a November 1 discussion, the Ambassador 
and Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern did a tour d'horizon of key 
bilateral issues.  Ahern: 
 
-- urged bilateral cooperation to avoid "surprises" regarding 
U.S. military use of Shannon Airport; 
 
-- noted that the Irish Cabinet had charged the Justice 
Minister to review legal loopholes used by the Shannon Five 
to avoid prosecution for damaging a U.S. naval plane in 2003; 
 
-- said that he did not expect the Northern Ireland Assembly 
to meet the November 24 deadline for nominating an Executive, 
due to the impasse on oath/policing issues; 
 
-- expressed disappointment with the failure of Northern 
Ireland parties to engage directly on follow-through for the 
St. Andrews Agreement; and, 
 
-- observed that the Irish Government would continue to lobby 
the USG to regularize the status of undocumented Irish 
citizens resident in the United States. 
 
¶2.  (C) The Ambassador: 
 
-- noted appreciation for U.S. military use of Shannon and 
offered the USG's best efforts to avoid missteps; 
 
-- emphasized the goal of preventing future actions by Irish 
protestors to disrupt U.S. operations at Shannon; 
 
-- underscored continued USG support for the Northern Ireland 
peace process; 
 
-- expressed gratitude for the scheduled November 9 
extradition of U.S. citizen Frederick Russell, but cautioned 
that failure to act on other extradition requests could give 
Ireland the image of a criminal haven; and, 
 
-- observed that movement on Irish concerns about 
undocumented citizens in the United States would be 
difficult.  End summary. 
 
Shannon 
------- 
 
¶3.  (C) In a November 1 introductory discussion with the 
Ambassador, Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern urged bilateral 
cooperation to avoid "surprises" regarding U.S. military use 
of Shannon Airport.  Ahern recalled that the Irish Parliament 
had required him to explain previous U.S. pre-notification 
failures on Shannon transits involving weapons and U.S. 
military prisoners.  He was also scheduled to address the 
European Parliament shortly on allegations that Ireland has 
assisted in extraordinary rendition flights, which he planned 
to rebuff on the basis of previous USG assurances on the 
issue.  Ahern conceded that the Irish Government was partly 
to blame for missteps at Shannon, as the Department of 
Transport had not previously sought full information on the 
materiel/passengers in transit -- a shortcoming that Ireland 
aimed to correct in the context of global terrorist threats. 
The Ambassador expressed appreciation for U.S. military use 
of Shannon, and he offered the USG's best efforts to avoid 
missteps and to coordinate on any necessary media strategy. 
Ahern noted that the Embassy's public outreach to explain the 
June transit of a Marine prisoner had helped to diffuse 
public criticism over the event. 
 
¶4.  (C) The Irish court decision to acquit five persons who 
had damaged a U.S. naval plane at Shannon Airport in 2003 
(the so-called "Shannon Five") had seriously disturbed the 
Irish Government Cabinet, Ahern said (ref A).  He explained 
that while there were no means to overturn the jury decision, 
the Cabinet had requested Minster for Justice Michael 
McDowell to examine ways to close off legal loopholes 
exploited by defense lawyers (who argued that the defendants 
had sought to prevent loss of life in Iraq).  The Ambassador 
emphasized the goal of preventing future actions by Irish 
citizens to disrupt U.S. military operations at Shannon. 
Ahern replied that airport security had been upgraded 
following the Shannon Five verdict and that the protest 
movement appeared to be losing steam, as evident is a 
sparsely attended October 28 rally at Shannon. 
 
DUBLIN 00001284  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
Northern Ireland 
---------------- 
 
¶5.  (C) Ahern said that he was "reasonably hopeful" about the 
prospects for follow-through on the St. Andrews Agreement, 
but he did not expect the Northern Assembly to meet by the 
November 24 deadline to nominate the First Minister and 
Deputy First Minister, given the impasse over the Executive 
oath on policing.  Ahern judged that unionists were 
unreasonable to require a Sinn Fein pledge on policing before 
the party as a whole had authorized this step.  On the other 
hand, Sinn Fein had been obstinate in declining to call a 
party conference before November 24, observed Ahern.  He 
added that a further complication in negotiations was 
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) reluctance to engage in 
face-to-face discussions with Sinn Fein on the policing/oath 
hurdle.  This reluctance was a regression from late 2004, 
when Sinn Fein and the DUP had substantive, direct contact in 
pursuit of a devolution deal at that time.  The Ambassador 
underscored continuing USG willingness to support the peace 
process in every possible capacity. 
 
¶6.  (C) The Irish Government had no illusions that progress 
on policing as part of the negotiations would be "tortuous," 
Ahern observed.  He recounted serious discrimination by the 
former Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) against nationalists 
across the border from his home county of Louth.  He also 
took note of remarks by DUP leader Nigel Dodds and others 
expressing reluctance to allow "former terrorists" within the 
republican community to participate in policing and justice 
structures.  Ahern pointed out that the ill-fated 2004 
agreement had pushed the policing issue off to the future and 
that parties remained stalled on this point, although Sinn 
Fein had shown progress on policing cooperation over the past 
year. 
 
Other Key Issues 
----------------- 
 
¶7.  (C) The Ambassador and Ahern also discussed briefly the 
following issues: 
 
¶A.  Extradition. The expected November 9 extradition of U.S. 
citizen Frederick Russell demonstrated Irish willingness to 
work through U.S. extradition requests, said Ahern (ref B). 
He observed that the Irish Government was precluded from 
lobbying the Irish judiciary on extradition issues, making it 
imperative for U.S. federal/state justice officials to 
satisfy the courts' requests for thorough, uniform 
documentation in such cases.  He added that Ireland had been 
innately reluctant to transfer criminal suspects to foreign 
jurisdictions, particularly in the 1970-80s when republicans 
involved in the Northern Ireland Troubles would cross the 
border to evade British authorities.  The Ambassador 
expressed gratitude for Irish action on the Russell case, but 
cautioned that failure to act on other extradition requests 
could give Ireland the image of a criminal haven. 
 
¶B.  Undocumented Irish.  According to Ahern, Irish officials 
would continue to press the USG for measures to regularize 
the status of up to 50,000 undocumented Irish resident in the 
United States, while recognizing that this Irish segment was 
part of a larger picture of illegal immigration.  He said 
that a recent proposal (floated by Irish parliamentarian Tom 
Kitt) for a bilateral agreement that would ease mutual 
entry/residence restrictions for Irish and U.S. nationals 
deserved consideration.  The Ambassador noted the 
Administration's sensitivity to long-term undocumented U.S. 
residents who were contributing to their communities, but he 
added that the Congress seemed disinclined at the moment to 
consider any form of amnesty. 
 
¶C.  Cuba.  Ahern committed to discuss with Deputy Prime 
Minister (Tanaiste) and Justice Minister, Michael McDowell, 
the USG request for Ireland to resettle roughly 30 Cuban 
migrants housed in Guantanamo who were determined by DHS to 
have a well founded fear of persecution (ref C).  Ahern noted 
that Ireland had recently coordinated with UNHCR to accept 
ten refugees resident in Malta, who had arrived as part of a 
burgeoning flow of African migrants into southern EU Member 
States. 
 
¶D.  Lebanon.  The Ambassador noted that 150 Irish troops had 
arrived in Lebanon on October 30 as part of the expanded 
UNIFIL force, and he expressed appreciation for Ireland's 
contribution.  Ahern replied that Ireland's experience in 
UNIFIL and familiarity with local Lebanese communities had 
obliged the Government to contribute troops, even though the 
Taoiseach initially had opposed deployment in view of Irish 
 
DUBLIN 00001284  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
commitments to other UN peacekeeping operations. 
 
¶E.  IFI.  The Irish Government, said Ahern, would lobby 
Congress for continued U.S. support of the International Fund 
for Ireland (IFI), which would help to advance the 
generation-long process of community reconciliation in 
Northern Ireland and Irish border counties.  He cited 
Ballymena in Northern Ireland as a community riven by 
sectarianism, as seen in the recent murder of a Catholic 
youth and the reluctance of local unionist politicians to 
work with republican counterparts. 
 
Participants 
------------ 
 
¶8.  (SBU) In addition to Foreign Minister Ahern, Irish 
participants included Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) 
Secretary General Dermot Gallagher and the Minister's Special 
 
SIPDIS 
Advisor, Ciaran O Cuinn.  On the U.S. side, the DCM and 
Pol/Econ Section Chief also took part. 
FOLEY