By Cate McCurry, PA
Bertie Ahern called for the use of rubber bullets to be discontinued in the Republic, saying he hoped it would put pressure on the British government to reduce their use in Northern Ireland, records show.
It has also been revealed that Irish government officials urged British authorities to review their use of plastic bullets.
The revelations emerged in a series of communiqués between the then taoiseach and the Department of Defence in 1997.
Mr Ahern expressed his frustration that thousands of plastic baton rounds had been ordered by the department.
It emerged that a junior staff member at the Department of Defence placed an order to buy 2,000 practice baton rounds with a British company on June 19th, 1997, to replace dwindling stocks for the continuation of training.
Records show that Mr Ahern wrote a letter to the minister for defence, David Andrews, after news of the order emerged at a dinner with the UK’s Northern Ireland Office minister, Adam Ingram.
Mr Ahern said that a comment was made during a discussion about plastic bullets, and that as the Irish side “were completely unaware of the fact, it was a source of some embarrassment”.
“I also would have to inquire what was the purpose of the purchase, as such ammunition has, as far as I am aware, never been authorised for use in this jurisdiction,” Mr Ahern wrote.
“One of my predecessors indicated when this last arose in the early 1980s, that he could not envisage any circumstances in which he would authorise their use. I have no doubt that would also be your attitude.”
Mr Ahern suggested that those involved in the purchase of the plastic bullets should be identified and reprimanded, as it would “represent a serious circumvention of democratic accountability”.
He added: “I would like to hear from you any good reason why such weapons or ammunition should be kept at all by the Defence Forces, as it only serves to blunt and hamper any efforts to persuade the British authorities to find alternative, more acceptable and less lethal methods of countering riot situations.”
In a letter dated September 1997, Mr Andrews replied to Mr Ahern to confirm that 2,000 practice baton rounds had been ordered.
He said the matter was dealt with at a junior level and the “antennae of the staff concerned were not attuned to the wider implications”, stating that it should have been cleared by senior authority.
Following discussions with the chief of staff and the Department of Foreign Affairs, the order was cancelled.
Mr Andrews said that he personally favoured the “discontinuance” of holding rubber bullets.
The issue was raised during a Cabinet sub-committee meeting on Northern Ireland matters in December 1997.
Mr Ahern attended the meeting with tánaiste Mary Harney, minister for justice John O’Donoghue and attorney general David Byrne.
The committee discussed the question of discontinuing the use of rubber bullets by the Defence Forces following the taoiseach’s letter.
