Neutrality, Irish style

Madam, - So, just to get things straight in my mind: We can allow thousands of US troops to use and reuse Shannon airport en …

Madam, - So, just to get things straight in my mind: We can allow thousands of US troops to use and reuse Shannon airport en route to God knows where. We can allow CIA-funded Gulf Stream jets to use and reuse the same airport for what euphemistically is known as extraordinary rendition.

We can, and indeed did recently, sign an agreement with Mr Bush's government to allow CIA agents not only to interrogate suspects here but also to remove them from the jurisdiction under certain conditions to an unstated destination - perhaps Afghanistan, Guantanamo or even Abu Ghraib, for further interrogation.

With such examples of our neutrality and independence it beggars belief that any third party could even hint that we were serving US foreign policy in any shape or form. - Yours, etc,

ARTHUR DUNNE,

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Blackrock,

Co Dublin.