Military component trade over €6 Billion

A report in the Irish Times (8/3/10) states that the military component trade has increased to over €6 billion. On the 6/3/10 in the same paper an article in the business section of the same paper states that the defence sector can help put the economy on a secure footing.

Roger Cole, Chair of PANA in response said:

"Since 1996 PANA has campaigned against the integration of Ireland into the US/EU/NATO military industrial structures. Our key argument on the "debate" on the Lisbon Treaty was that its core purpose was to accelerate the militarisation of the European Union and to ensure Ireland's full and active participation in this war machine. These two stories are absolute proof that everything we were saying was correct. The US/EU/NATO is now committed to an unending war in Afghanistan/Iraq/Pakistan/Yemen/Somalia and if they have their way Iran as well. The driving force behind these wars is the US/EU/NATO military industrial complex and the Irish political/media elite are completely determined that Ireland via its over €6 billion industry, its soldiers taking an active part in the Afghan war and the use of Shannon Airport by the US Army, that the Irish people should play their role in these imperial wars that create jobs for killing, and the hatred ! of Muslims that sustains them. We believe this neo-liberal militarist ideology of the Irish political/media elite is a disaster for the people of Afghanistan and Iraq, and impoverishes the people in Ireland the rest of Europe and the USA. On the 14/3/10 at 2.00pm Shannonwatch will be organising another vigil against this ideology at Shannon Airport. We call upon the media to give this vigil the attention it deserves."

German Minister calls for Lisbon Treaty EU Army

GERMAN foreign minister Guido Westerwelle called for the EU to proceed with plans for a European army under the Lisbon Treaty, which he dubbed “the beginning and not the end” of a common security and defence policy.

His remarks at the annual Munich Security Conference followed a call by Berlin’s defence minister Karl Theodor zu Guttenberg to end what he called NATO’s “absurd” practice of unanimous decision-making.

“The (Lisbon) treaty lays out a common security and defence policy. The federal government wants to make progress on this front,” said Guido Westerwelle. “The long-term goal is to build up a European army under parliamentary control. The EU has to live up to political expectations of its role as a global player.”

The foreign minister sketched out a role for such an army as crisis management in a time of resource scarcity, to be developed by willing member states over time as a “motor for closer co-operation” in the EU. In a nod to NATO, Guido Westerwelle said such EU structures would not replace other military structures.

Germany’s top diplomat received backing for his plan from his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, who called for a “single European military-political space” in which no one country’s security was sacrificed for another.

“We want to overcome the bloc-thinking of the Cold War in Europe and create a new kind of mutual trust,” said Sergi Lavrov.

The weekend meeting in Munich, a think-in for defence players, was dominated by the ongoing standoff with Iran over nuclear uranium enrichment which Tehran says is energy and not military-related, as western countries fear.

EU foreign minister Catherine Ashton said the “possibilities of dialogue are not yet exhausted”, despite clear impatience from other conference speakers.

Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki made a surprise appearance in Munich, raising hopes of an important announcement, only to dash them again with a general statement about “conducive ground . . . to agreement in the near future”.

Mr zu Guttenberg dismissed Manouchehr Mottaki’s Munich trip as a “farce”.

Turning his attention to NATO, he called on an end to the “cultivated absurdity” of the alliance’s principle of unanimity in decision making. “We talk too much and act too little,” he said.

Lisbon paves way for EU/NATO alliance

COMMENTS by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the Lisbon Treaty provides a platform for deeper ties between the EU and NATO confirms one of the main arguments against the Lisbon Treaty according to the President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton: “This bears out one of the central arguments of those who called for a rejection of Lisbon. As Republican Sinn Féin argued in both referenda held in the 26 Counties the purpose of the Lisbon Treaty was to bring the EU project to its logical next step in the construction of an undemocratic and militarised superstate.

“Hillary Clinton’s comments regarding 'energy security' are significant. It would appear the ground is being prepared for NATO to act as the military arm of the EU - fighting the resource wars forecast by the then President of the EU Commission Jacques Delors in 1992 - over what have been identified as the key resources of water, food and energy."

“The world vision set out by Hillary Clinton is one where the political and economic hegemony of the rich northern hemisphere over the poor south will be enforced by NATO.” Des Dalton said.

Hillary Clinton was speaking at the French military academy in Paris on January 29.
Answering a question from her audience, Hillary Clinton said EU’s energy policy in particular would benefit from closer co-ordination with NATO. “They are no longer separated. It’s hard to say that security is only about what it was when Nato was formed and the EU has no role to play in security issues,” she said.

“These, of course, are decisions for the Europeans to make with respect to the EU.”
Hillary Clinton said she recognised that national differences must be respected, “even in the time of greater European integration”.

However, the complexity of today’s world was such that the development of common policies would serve the EU and NATO. In this respect the EU would concentrate on economic, development and political issues while NATO would deal mainly with security.

“Take, for example, energy security,” she said. “It would be the EU’s responsibility to create policies that would provide more independence and protection from intimidations when it comes to energy markets for its member nation. But I can also see how, in certain cases respecting energy, there may be a role for NATO as well.”

While it was important to respect and honour “foundation institutions”, she said questions should be asked about how they could function better.

Citing moves to reform NATO, Hilary Clinton said reforms at EU level would make co-operation with the military alliance easier.

“Under the Lisbon Treaty, with more focus and specific leadership attached to foreign policy and development assistance, there will be a way to better co-ordinate,” she said.

Although “some questions” had been raised in recent months about the depth of Washington’s commitment to Europe, she said European security was “an anchor” of US foreign policy.

US military forces will remain on the European continent to “deter attacks and to respond quickly” if any occur, she said.

NATO to act as the military arm of the EU

Statement by the President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton

Comments by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton that the Lisbon Treaty provides a platform for deeper ties between the EU and NATO confirms one of the main arguments against the Lisbon Treaty according to the President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton who in a statement said:

“This bears out one of the central arguments of those who called for a rejection of Lisbon. As Republican Sinn Féin argued in both referenda held in the 26 Counties the purpose of the Lisbon Treaty was to bring the EU project to its logical next step in the construction of an undemocratic and militarised superstate.

“Hillary Clinton’s comments regarding “energy security” are significant. It would appear the ground is being prepared for NATO to act as the military arm of the EU in order to fight the resource wars - forecast by the then President of the EU Commission Jacques Delors in 1992 - over what have been identified as the key resources of water, food and energy.

“The world vision set out by Hillary Clinton is one where the political and economic hegemony of the rich northern hemisphere over the poor south will be enforced by NATO.” Des Dalton said.

EU Defence Minsters to Establish an Military Transport Fleet

IN A statement on November 23 the Peace & Neutrality Alliance (PANA) said that fourteen of the EU's Defence Ministers have signed a letter of intent to establish an EU Military Transport Fleet based on the A400M and the C130. Various options are being considered and the European Defenc Agency CEO Alexander Weiss hoped to achieve operating capability by 2014.

The states are; Belgium, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, German, Greece, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden, while two other unnamed countries are set to sign in the coming weeks.

Roger Cole, Chair of PANA said:

“PANA made the case during the Lisbon referendum that the core rationale of the treaty was to facilitate the acceleration of the process of the militarisation of the EU. The creation of a European Military Transport Fleet can only be justified if the intention is to transport a large European Army to places well beyond the borders of the EU such as Afghanistan or Iran. It is not clear if Ireland is one of the unnamed countries but there is no doubt that the political parties and corporate media that supported the Lisbon Treaty were well aware of the acceleration in the process of the militarisation of the EU as witnessed by the creation of this MTF.

“PANA however will continue to oppose this process of military escalation in conjunction with our allies in the European peace movement. We are convinced that the latest polls in for example in Britain, that show over 70% of the people want the British troops to withdraw from Afghanistan, that the people's of Europe reject the war agenda of the political/corporate media elite and that this rejection will find political expression in time and perhaps sooner than later.”

Struggle goes on after Lisbon

IN A STATEMENT the Vice President of Republican Sinn Féin Des Dalton said that the Czech Republic’s ratification of the Lisbon Treaty on November 3, paving the way for its adoption as EU law does not mark the end of history. “The principles of upon which the campaign against the Lisbon Treaty was fought are timeless and will hold true as long as the human race exists.

“The fight for real political and economic democracy both within and between states must go on. The struggle against imperialism in Ireland is part of the wider international struggle for human progress, freedom and democracy.

“The forces we face have rarely been more formidable but the ideals which inform our activism and struggle have never been more relevant or needed.” Des Dalton said.

CZECH PRESIDENT Václav Klaus finally signed the Lisbon Treaty on November 3, clearing the way for the reform accord to become European Union law as early as next month.

The Czech constitutional court threw out a final objection to it but he was granted an exemption from a rights charter that he said would expose it to property claims from millions of Germans who were expelled from Czechoslovakia after the second World War.

“I had expected the court ruling and I respect it, although I fundamentally disagree with its content and justification . . . With the Lisbon Treaty taking effect, the Czech Republic will cease to be a sovereign state, despite the political opinion of the constitutional court,” said Václav Klaus.

It is the last of the EU’s 27 member states to ratify the treaty, which will give the bloc a full-time president and a more powerful foreign policy chief.

Václav Klaus fears it will transfer too much power from national governments to Brussels and lay the groundwork for an EU “super-state”.

Klaus’s signature ends some eight years of wrangling over how to reform the workings of the EU.

Fredrik Reinfeldt, premier of current EU presidency holder Sweden, said the treaty could come into force next month, and that a summit would be held “as soon as possible” to find the first EU president.