US military landings - Bertie must come clean on Shannon

ALLEGATIONS are being made that American military planes are landing in Shannon with guns and ammunition on board, despite government assurances that the aircraft are unarmed troop carriers.

The Department of Transport contends that the government only gave permission to a limited number of aircraft to overfly and for just one American plane to land with ammunition last year.

Our government gave Allied authorities permission to overfly in an air corridor over County Donegal, in order to facilitate British and American aircraft using the military base on Lough Erne during World War II. Thus, there is no historical basis for the contention that such co-operation is historically unprecedented.