This article is from page 11 of the 2006-06-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 11 JPG
THE Department of Justice has denied reports at the weekend that it is to instruct gardaí and security staff in Shannon to carry out random searches of flights landing in Shannon.
It was reported that the department would take control of random inspections at the Clare airport, responsibility for which it shares equally with the Departments of Tourism and Foreign Affairs.
A spokesperson for the Department of Justice said it would be inappropriate for the department to comment until the Minister for Foreign Affairs makes any decision.
But she said the information that they were preparing to board flights was incorrect.
Last week a convicted US marine was discovered shacked in a civilian plane in Shannon.
The US embassy said that the soldier who had breached a military code was been flown home from Kuwait, but the US authorities had not cleared the transport of the prisoner with the Irish Government.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern described the incident as “unacceptable” and a “matter of grave concern.”
Following a meeting with the US ambassador, James Kenny, the minsister requested a full report on the incident.
Speculation followed this weekend that the incident with the soldier gave both the US and Irish government “a way out of an uncomfortable impasse” over rendition flights, and an excuse to begin the random search of planes under the Air and Transports Acts.
Last week Clare’s TDs and senators, with the exception of Deputy James Breen (Ind), said they did not feel it was necessary for flights to be searched.