ARAFAT MEETING:THE VISAS of a group of Irish politicians visiting Beirut had expired when they met PLO chairman and opponent of the Lebanese authorities Yasser Arafat in January 1980.
The possible implications of an unofficial visit by two TDs and four senators on the invitation of the Palestine Liberation Organisation was of particular concern to one Irish diplomat because of the “presence here of Irish troops whose task includes supporting the legitimate authorities”.
Charge d’affaires in Beirut Seán Whelan knew nothing of the visit until he was invited to dinner, while the Lebanese authorities had no advance notice, Whelan said in a confidential memo to the secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs.
Whelan also had concerns over the seven-hour visa they received at the airport, which “had expired at the time they met chairman Arafat, which meant that the visitors were illegally in Lebanon holding a meeting with someone who is known to be opposed to the Lebanese authorities”, he wrote.
At the meeting Arafat denied the PLO had any links with the IRA. The following month Ireland became one of the first countries to recognise the legitimacy of the PLO and state that it was not a terrorist organisation.
They were brought to the Palestinian stronghold of Castle Beaufort, which Whelan described as “irresponsible” on the part of the PLO because it was “shelled almost daily” by the Israelis.
Bringing Oireachtas members to the castle could also provide a pretext for Israel to shell the Irish troops “in retaliation”, he said.
A further headache arose for Whelan when the group wished to visit the Irish UN peacekeepers stationed there, as they did not have Unifil clearance and because they were in the country on the invitation of the PLO.
He arranged for the politicians to visit Damascus in Syria then return to Lebanon, but this time not on a PLO-sanctioned visit. They later met a representative of the Lebanese government to balance the situation.
The delegation was made up of all parties, including Fianna Fáil senator and pro-Palestinian campaigner Michael Lanigan, and Jim O’Keeffe (FG), who became minister of state at the Department of Foreign Affairs the following year.
