Ireland 'will not stand neutral': Cowen
Foreign Minister Brian Cowen said today Ireland would not stand neutral in the fight against world terrorism after visiting the ruins of the World Trade Centre in New York.
Mr Cowen described the ‘‘humbling experience’’ of visiting the site dubbed ground zero.
And he said it was hard to understand how the attack could have been carried out in the name of religion.
Mr Cowen’s visit to America came after some critics at home argued that Ireland’s offer of its airspace to US forces contravened our constitutional neutrality.
But after the trip to New York and an earlier visit to see US Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington, Mr Cowen said Ireland was not neutral when it came to combating world terror.
Also during the visit, he met New York mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who said his people needed the support of Ireland and the rest of the world.
