A delegation from the the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Public Service Oversight and Petitions will travel to Shannon tomorrow Thursday October 2, for a series of meetings on the US military use of the airport and Irish airspace.
The delegation will meet with representatives from the Shannon Airport Authority, the local Gardaí and Shannonwatch.
The visit to Shannon follows a petition and presentation to the committee in June by Dr Edward Horgan, Margaretta D’Arcy and Dr John Lannon of the Shannonwatch organisation.
Chairman of the Committee Pádraig Mac Lochlainn TD says: “Tomorrow’s visit to Shannon Airport is a valuable opportunity to follow up on the petition by Shannonwatch earlier this year. Central to the petition by Shannonwatch is a call for the Government to investigate the use of Shannon Airport and Irish airspace for the transit of US armed troops, munitions and other war material, and for the refuelling of CIA-associated aircraft involved in extraordinary rendition.
“The petitioners have also made serious claims that complaints or requests made to Gardaí at Shannon have not been followed up. The series of meetings on the ground in Shannon tomorrow will assist the Committee in following up this controversial issue. We will also be able to asses first-hand Shannonwatch’s call for an independent inquiry in relation to what they perceive as the failure to investigate aircraft suspected to be involved in illegal rendition”
