IRELAND: The decision by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to indicate that the Government would send troops to Iraq following the passage of a United Nations resolution has been sharply attacked by the Opposition.
Declaring Mr Ahern's remarks to be "entirely improper", Labour TD Mr Michael D. Higgins warned: "The Taoiseach should be careful about making promises that he cannot keep."
He accused the Taoiseach of pandering to the Bush Administration during his visit this week to the United States.
"This is just trying it on. He is saying, 'We will do our best for you'. However, the Taoiseach is not making it clear just what that is," he told The Irish Times.
On Monday, the Taoiseach, speaking in the US, said a UN mandate would "change the position" and open the way for such a deployment.
Last night, Fine Gael's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Gay Mitchell, also criticised Mr Ahern's remarks: "Making foreign policy by stealth and entering into international commitments behind closed doors is the hallmark of the current Government," he declared.
He went on: "There is no certainty that Dáil Éireann would support sending troops to Iraq and the Taoiseach should not enter into commitments in New York which he cannot keep."
