SEANAD REPORT: Emphasising the need to involve the United Nations soon in the efforts to reshape a new Iraq, Ann Ormonde (FF) said: "I think I'd get the Americans out of the way. They shouldn't be in charge of anything that has to deal with the psychological dimension of how to bring people on board. They isolate people. They are too aggressive."
An international body of people had to come together on this issue and she hoped that Ireland would promote that approach. "Don't let the Americans in on any key area. They just don't know how to handle it and they have alienated the Iraqis. The confidence is not there. There is chaos at the moment."
Ms Ormonde said she would like to think that Ireland's role in next month's international conference on Iraq would help to bring about a consensus by facilitating the opposing Iraqi factions in sitting around the table.
Members debated the current situation in Iraq.
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Conor Lenihan said the Brussels conference to be hosted by the EU and the US at the request of the Iraqi government would provide a further opportunity for the international community to demonstrate its support for the new Iraqi government and for the tasks it faced. It would also enable Iraq to set out its priorities and plans for the work of reconstruction, because it was now for the Iraqi government to take a lead role in directing these efforts.
Paul Bradford (FG) appealed to the Minister to ensure that the Irish Government, at all levels open to it at UN and EU levels, tried to do whatever it could to bring some degree of ease to the people of Iraq. Mr Bradford said the issue of Islamic fundamentalism needed serious attention. The political ambition of these people was literally to bring about an end to western civilisation as we knew it.
Don Lydon (FF) said Iraq had turned into another Vietnam. The coalition troops would be there for years and then they would be pulled out suddenly, leaving a civil war situation.
David Norris (Ind) said there had been reports in a newspaper last week of Iraqis selling their kidneys and other organs in order to survive. "This is what we have inflicted on them."
Martin Mansergh (FF) said the mess that had developed in Iraq included the deplorable lapse in standards in treating prisoners. He thought one had to raise one's eyebrows more than a little at the fact that virtually the only people seemingly being prosecuted and convicted were women soldiers.