Suicide bombers won’t listen to reason

According to the Taoiseach there is no evidence of a terrorist attack or anything “untoward” being planned in Ireland. His assessment must correspond to the analysis of the general management of Le Bataclan, had a similar question been posed to them in Paris a week ago.

Meanwhile, President Higgins beseeches humanity to condemn hatred and terrorist violence and to expose the sacred texts and belief systems that terrorists’ evoke with the proviso that our response to their violence should be “thoughtful and careful”, as if suicide bombers are amenable to rationale and compassion.

Ireland maintains a diplomatic presence at our embassy in Riyadh with a staff of two diplomats. But the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Dublin has 33 accredited diplomats sanctioned by Áras an Uachtaráin and 16 of these are ‘cultural attachés’. There is not a single Saudi diplomat in the country with an identifiable security brief.

Is this not a most unbalanced diplomatic relationship and one which conflicts totally with the guidance advocated by President Higgins?

For the sake of comparison, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has accredited 24 cultural attachés at the Saudi Arabian Embassy in London to cover the entire UK, where the total Muslim population is 2.7 million.

The British Embassy in Dublin has six accredited diplomats one of whom represents the interests of the National Crime Agency and another who has a brief covering fiscal crime.

Myles Duffy

Bellevue Avenue

Glenageary

Co Dublin