Press Releases
Press Release on Transport of Detained U.S. Service Member Through Shannon Airport
Ambassador James C. Kenny: U.S. Embassy Dublin: June 13, 2006.
“It was with sadness that I learned today of the death of former Taoiseach Charles Haughey. On behalf of the United States government and the American people, I extend our deep condolences to Mrs. Maureen Haughey and the children and extended family of Charles Haughey during their time of grief.
“Last night, I had a very constructive meeting with Foreign Minister Dermot Ahern in which he expressed the serious concern of the Irish government about the transit of a U.S. serviceman who was in military custody aboard a large charter flight of soldiers returning to the U.S. from service in the Middle East. We fully understand and appreciate the sensitivity of this issue and are taking steps to ensure that it does not happen again.
“This uniformed U.S. military service member, prosecuted under the Uniform Code of Military Justice for stealing, was on board a routine commercial charter flight from Kuwait to the United States that stopped for servicing at Shannon Airport on June 11. As soon as the Embassy was made aware of the detained service member’s presence on-board the aircraft, we asked the Shannon Airport authorities to confirm this information. The Embassy notified the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Department of Justice the next day.
“Unfortunately, permission from the Irish government was not sought for the transit of this person. We regret that this incident happened and are reviewing procedures closely with Irish authorities to ensure that this does not happen again.
“This U.S. service member was prosecuted according to applicable U.S. law in a U.S. military court on a U.S. military base and was being transferred to the United States to serve out his sentence. As the United States military is an all-volunteer force, this soldier gave consent to abide by the Uniform Code of Military Justice when he joined. His transfer was thus a routine, internal disciplinary procedure for the U.S. military.
“We are determined that any use of Irish airspace or Irish airports by U.S. military aircraft or chartered civilian aircraft be completely transparent and in conformity with Irish law and the wishes of the Irish Government. We look forward to continuing our discussions and cooperation with the Irish government to ensure that such incidents are not repeated and to maintaining the relationship of trust and openness that prevails between our two countries.”