IRELAND UNLIKELY TO RESETTLE GUANTANAMO DETAINEES

S E C R E T DUBLIN 000566

SIPDIS

PLEASE PASS TO S/WCI - AMBASSADOR WILLIAMSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/14/2018
TAGS: PREL PGOV PREF CJAN EUN KJUS KTIA KAWC EI
SUBJECT: IRELAND UNLIKELY TO RESETTLE GUANTANAMO DETAINEES

REF: A. DUBLIN 436 AND PREVIOUS

B. DUBLIN 223

Classified By: Charge Robert J. Faucher; Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D).

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Summary
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1. (S) EUR/WE Office Director Pamela Spratlen reviewed the
status of Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Clint
Williamson's presentation to the Irish government on July 15,
2008, in which Williamson requested the Government of Ireland
to accept one or more detainees from Guantanamo who could not
be returned to their home country for fear that they would be
tortured or killed (Ref A). Rory Montgomery, Political
Director, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) indicated that
Ireland would be unlikely to accept detainees. Sean Aylward,
Secretary General, Department of Justice, Equality and Law
Reform (DOJ) flatly declared that Ireland would not resettle
detainees. While the Irish will give us the courtesy of
reviewing individual resettlement requests, it appears they
are not willing to accept any detainees absent the closure of
the detainee center at Guantanamo Bay and a comprehensive
U.S.-led program to resettle detainees across a broad swath
of nations. End summary.

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Detainee Acceptance Unlikely: DFA
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2. (S) Montgomery was circumspect in discussing the issue of
detainees, saying that while the decision lay with the
Department of Justice and no decision had yet been made, it
was "unlikely" that the request to resettle detainees would
be accepted by the Irish Government. As to why, Montgomery
said that one of the two Palestinian militants Ireland had
accepted following the Siege of the Church of Nativity in
Bethlehem in 2002 had been troublesome. In addition, he
noted that the Irish Government had responded positively in
2007 when asked to take 10 Cuban refugees who had taken
shelter at the U.S. military facility at Guantanamo Bay (Ref
B). Montgomery went on to suggest that Ireland might be more
amenable to accepting detainees if the incoming U.S.
administration were to close down the Guantanamo detention
facility, request numerous countries to resettle the
detainees, and share the burden by resettling some of the
detainees in the U.S. itself.

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Detainee Acceptance Unacceptable: DOJ
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3. (S) Taking a tough tone and more strident approach,
Aylward, the chief advisor to the Minister of Justice, was
much more explicit, stating that he would advise against
accepting any detainees. He claimed that Dermot Gallagher,
Secretary General of the Department of Foreign Affairs and
Montgomery's boss, agreed with him. Aylward's primary reason
for opposing the request was that he feared that "virulently
left-wing" elements of the media would "capture" resettled
detainees and "parade" them around the country and in the
media as "political theater" to showcase their fringe views
of American wrongdoing. He said that such action would whip
up anti-American sentiment and would be harmful for
U.S.-Irish relations.


4. (S) Aylward echoed Montgomery in saying that one of the
Palestinian militants resettled following the Siege of the
Church of Nativity in Bethlehem had been troublesome, noting
that considerable police (Garda) resources were tied up in
monitoring his activities. (Note: Aylward administratively
oversees the police force. End note.) Aylward also noted
that the Irish government, as a "gesture of friendship" and
"at some expense," had agreed to accept 10 Cuban refugees
early in 2008.


5. (S) Spratlen pressed Aylward, asking if the Irish door
was firmly closed or whether Ireland would consider requests
from the U.S. for resettlement on a case-by-case basis.
Aylward conceded that Ireland's door would always be open to
American requests, but declared that in this case making a
request would be "a waste of time" and "a step too far." He
concluded by saying that he could "not conceive of a
situation" in which he would recommend that Ireland agree to
accept a detainee -- "even if they had family in Ireland."

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Comment
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6. (S) Aylward's intransigence came as a surprise, given
that previous contact with his staffers had not indicated
such depth of opposition. Aylward's opposition is a
formidable barrier, especially since it would be prudent to
assume that he is reflecting the view of the Minister of
Justice. While the Irish will give us the courtesy of
reviewing individual resettlement requests, it appears they
will refuse to accept any detainees absent a U.S.-led
international program to comprehensively resolve the issue of
detainees at Guantanamo.


7. (U) This message has been cleared by EUR/WE Director
Pamela Spratlen.
FAUCHER