| Title: | Celt Notefile |
| Moderator: | TALLIS::DARCY |
| Created: | Wed Feb 19 1986 |
| Last Modified: | Tue Jun 03 1997 |
| Last Successful Update: | Fri Jun 06 1997 |
| Number of topics: | 1632 |
| Total number of notes: | 20523 |
Associated Press Fri 13-JUN-1986 03:39 Terrorism Treaty
Senate Panel Approves Extradition Treaty With British
By LAWRENCE L. KNUTSON
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - After months of emotional debate, the Senate
Foreign Relations Committee is recommending the Senate ratify a
compromise version of an anti-terrorist extradition treaty between
Britain and the United States.
The committee had been deeply divided over the treaty, which is
aimed at making it easier to bring to justice members of the Irish
Republican Army accused of terrorist acts.
But it recommended ratification on a 15-2 roll call Thursday
after committee chairman Richard Lugar, R-Ind., and Sen. Thomas
Eagleton, D-Mo., drafted the compromise.
Opponents of the original pact said the rewritten version was a
``night-and-day'' improvement that met objections that fugitives
from British forces in Northern Ireland could be arrested in the
United States, accused of terrorism, and returned to face unfair,
politically biased trials.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said the final step that produced the
overwhelming passage was a statement by Lugar that the treaty's
language meant that prisoners cannot be extradited to Britain if a
federal judge finds they would face ``unjust and oppressive trials.''
The treaty does not actually contain those words, which some
senators said might have caused the British government to back out
of the compromise.
But it does state that an accused person shall not be extradited
if he can convince a judge that the attempt to bring him to trial in
another country is being made ``with a view to punish him on account
of his race, religion, trial or political opinions.''
Kerry told reporters after the hearing that, in effect, the
committee has opened up an inquiry by U.S. courts into the fairness
of trials in Northern Ireland.
The treaty retains language sought by the British government that
would remove the so-called political exception, which has been used
in American legal history to protect political exiles accused of
violent acts in their native lands.
This would permit the extradition of persons accused of terrorist
acts in Northern Ireland. But the provisions of the compromise
treaty would not make extradition automatic.
The compromise narrows the list of extraditable offenses to
eliminate those that are not crimes in the United States or that are
not in themselves violent acts.
The new list is limited to murder, voluntary manslaughter,
kidnapping, or offenses involving the use of a bomb, grenade,
rocket, firearm, letter bomb, parcel bomb or firebomb.
Another new section underscores the right of the accused to
present evidence at an extradition hearing and to due process of
law. And it states that the evidence must be strong enough to
warrant a trial in U.S. courts if the alleged crime had been
committed in the United States.
Although the compromise ended the committee's nearly yearlong
consideration of the pact, it did not immediately dissolve the
bitterness several members said they felt.
Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., repeatedly disagreed with the
assertion of treaty supporters that the Senate should ratify the
pact because it ``owed the British'' for Prime Minister Margaret
Thatcher's decision to allow U.S. warplanes based in Britain to
attack purported terrorist targets in Libya.
He said he opposed the original version of the pact because was
it based on the false presumption that U.S. courts and judges were
somehow pandering to accused terrorists.
That presumption, Biden said, was ``an affront to our court
system, to our judges.''
But Eagleton said the treaty is needed because the age of
terrorism transcends other considerations.
And he said that to him it made no difference whether a terrorist
was an Arab in the Middle East or a member of the Irish Republican
Army.
``It may be that the political defense used to apply to sweeter,
calmer days,'' Eagleton said. ``But throwing a fire bomb that kills
28 people, that's just garden variety, common terrorism.''
| T.R | Title | User | Personal Name | Date | Lines |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 58.1 | too controversial ?? | ENGGSG::BURNS | It's a long way from Clare to here | Thu Jun 19 1986 16:12 | 12 |
It's very quite in here .. Maybe I should delete this note ??
Where are you /Dermot ??
keVin
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| 58.2 | It's a political problem. | DUBSWS::D_OSULLIVAN | Ireland is not a NATO-member | Mon Jun 23 1986 13:05 | 8 |
How's the goin' Kevin? It'll be a sad day when an AP report is
considered too controversial for a notesfile. I'll comment later
on the contents of the "treaty".
/Dermot
P.S. Your Senate could still turn it down - write today!!!
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| 58.3 | see you in September ?? | ENGGSG::BURNS | It's a long way from Clare to here | Mon Jun 23 1986 15:02 | 12 |
re: 58.2 How's the goin'
The goin' is great ... Clare beat "Tipp" ....
Bring on Cork !!!
See ya' in the Finals when we beat Galway !!!
keVin
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| 58.4 | ENGGSG::BURNS | It's a long way from Clare to here | Fri Jul 18 1986 10:52 | 91 | |
By TIM AHERN
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Senate on Thursday ended a year-long debate
and voted 87-10 approval of a treaty making it easier for Britian to
win extradition of suspected Irish terrorists from the United States.
The new treaty has been supported by the Reagan administration as
part of the international war against terrorism, but it had been
stalled by Democrats from Northeastern states with large populations
of Irish descendants.
The treaty stands approved since only the Senate ratifies
treaties.
Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., told his colleagues he opposed
the pact because ``it equates all political violence with terrorism.
... It's a bogus proposition.''
But Sen. Thomas Eagleton, D-Mo., said, ``Terrorism is the same
whether you have swarthy cheeks and speak Arabic or have pink cheeks
and talk with a brogue.''
A statement issued at the White House praised ratification of the
treaty.
``We are gratified with the vote of approval and we welcome this
bipartisan call to combat political violence,'' the statement said.
``We strongly believe the supplementary treaty will further our
efforts to develop effective tools in the fight against terrorism.''
Sen. Richard Lugar, R-Ind., chairman of the Foreign Relations
Committee that approved the compromise tready by a 15-2 vote on July
12, said the Senate had a chance ``to affirm the strength of our
friendship with Great Britain and the strength of our passions in
the fight against terrorism.''
The opposition votes were cast by Dodd; Alfonse D'Amato, R-N.Y.;
Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz.; David Durenberger, R-Minn.; Orrin Hatch,
R-Utah; Jesse Helms, R-N.C.; Gordon Humphrey, R-N.H.; Arlen Specter,
R-Pa.; Lowell Weicker, R-Conn.; and Edward Zorinsky, D-Neb.
Not voting were Steve Symms, R-Idaho; Mark Hatfield, R-Ore.; and
Robert Stafford, R-Vt.
Moments after approving the treatyr, the Senate gave voice vote
approval to a $20 million aid package to support the Anglo-Irish
accord signed last Nov. 15, which for the first time gives the
Republic of Ireland a formal voice in governing Northern Ireland.
That accord has been strongly opposed by Protestants, who are in
the majority in Northern Ireland. Catholics, who are in the majority
in the Republic of Ireland, have supported the pact.
The House earlier this year approved a $250 million aid package
over five years and the Senate action sends the question of U.S. aid
to a conference committee between the two chambers to agree on an
amount.
Lugar said the aid is intended to help develop industry and jobs
in Northern Ireland. But he said $20 million is all he thinks the
United States can afford because of budget restraints.
As debate opened late Wednesday, Lugar said the treaty should be
approved because ``to refuse to extradite even a few terrorists
undermines the U.S. war on terrorism. Violence should not be deemed
an acceptable part of the democratic process.''
The treaty dilutes the traditional ``political defense'' which
permitted people wanted for violent crimes like murder or setting a
bomb to argue in U.S. federal courts that their actions were
motivated by politics rather than criminal considerations.
Originally, the treaty would have left it up to the State
Department, rather than federal courts, to determine whether a
political defense would be permitted for a person wanted for
extradition.
But the final version approved by the committee retained some
aspects of the political defense. A person wanted by a foreign
nation could block extradition if a judge found that the person
would face an unfair trial or would be punished ``by reason of his
race, religion, nationality or political opinions.''
That change mollified critics of the earlier pact because they
said an extradition decision would remain in the U.S. court system
rather than the executive branch of government.
The delay had angered the British government, particularly after
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher permitted U.S. bombers based in
Britain to take part in the April raid on Libya. That strike was
ordered by President Reagan in retaliation for Libyan support for
anti-American terrorist attacks.
After the U.S. raid, Mrs. Thatcher urged Senate approval of the
new treaty. She asked, ``What is the point of the United States
taking a foremost part against terrorism and then not being as
strict as they can be against Irish terrorism which afflicts one of
their allies?''
Reagan also lobbied for approval. In the wake of the U.S. raid on
Libya, he said the pact should be approved and noted, ``as Great
Britain demonstrated once again, she is our staunchest ally in the
battle against international terrorism.''
In the past eight years, the political defense claim has been
raised in U.S. courts by four people wanted by the British for
alleged terrorist acts against British troops or police in
connection with Britain's administration of strife-torn Northern
Ireland.
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| 58.5 | THE BRITS GIVE NO JUSTICE TO IRISH PEOPLE | FNYFS::AUNGIER | Rene Aungier, Ferney-Voltaire, France | Wed Feb 04 1987 04:16 | 23 |
Its a sad day when an Irish man is exteadited to Britain. Do the
senate not know of the hundreds of cases of Irish men and women
being falsely accused of crimes and the punishment they face.
What chance has an Irish man or women under British justice and
a British jury, none. Look at the "Bermingham Bombers" as they are
called. They were judged on the theory of a professor who claimed
to have found traces of explosive substances on thier clothes. Now
it has been proved that his theory can be proved by many substances
so they should not have been found guilty purely on this,
The B.B.C. or I.T.V., I cannot remember which channel did a documentary
on them and uncovered suffieient evidence to prove that they were
no where near the place in the 2 previous days. One of them has
since died. The British government and justice system has refused
to date to review the case despite this substancial doubt.
If this is British justice what hope has an Irishman or woman under
their so called system, none. Everything should be done to repeal
this extradition agreement. Look at the many other cases and you
will see that they are the same.
Rene
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| 58.6 | Stalker is british | MEO78B::FARRELL | Thu Feb 26 1987 22:23 | 9 | |
I was home at Christmas and picked up a very good book called th
'Stalker Affair' by Frank (?) Doherty. This refreshed my memory
on British dirty tricks in Ireland etc etc. I would recommend to
anyone who thinks the British have justice to read this book. When
the establishment is threatened even senior british policeman can
cop it (thats a rotten pun). It is always worth bearing in mind
that MIn is just as bad as any other secret service and are quite
capable of organising bombings etc for their own purposes. Keep
the big picture in mind.
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