US air strikes in Somalia will escalate conflict
Statement by John Gormley TD, Green Party Chairman and spokesperson on foreign affairs
“The US air strikes in Somalia against rebels in a civil war confirm that the Bush administration has learnt nothing from the Iraq debacle. These air strikes - in which a four-year-old was killed - are a breach of international law and a clear indication that Mr. Bush is still fully committed to his own doctrine of pre-emption.
“His so-called ‘War on Terror’ has been entirely counterproductive and sown the seeds of further terrorism for generations to come. It will widen the gap between Islam and the West and destabilise this part of Africa in the same way that the entire Middle East has been destabilised by the occupation of Iraq.
“Also, just as in Iraq, the politics of oil is at play here with the US trying to safeguard access to the Red Sea for its oil tankers. I call on our Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern to condemn this attack. It seems that the Minister Ahern is completely in thrall to the Bush Administration and that any semblance of an independent Irish foreign policy is gone.”