Fine Gael National Press Office Press Release

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Self Serving US Military Agenda of Messrs Ganley and McEvaddy - Creighton

Should the Pentagon Decide on the Future of Europe?

Fine Gael European Affairs Spokesperson, Lucinda Creighton has today questioned whether the motivation for Ulick McEvaddy and Declan Ganley's opposition to the Lisbon Treaty is their central involvement in the provision of US military equipment and intelligence. She asked whether their financing of the No to Lisbon campaign in Ireland is less to do with concern for our sovereignty or any other high-minded ideals and more about their personal economic interests in the United States military.

She stated: "The trenchant opposition of these two men to the Lisbon Treaty is perfectly logical. It has nothing to do with high aspirations and ideology. In reality, the two men are as pragmatic as one would expect of two such successful businessmen. Messrs Ganley and McEvaddy's own personal economic and military interests in the US must be directly informing their own positions in opposing the Lisbon Treaty."

Mr. McEvaddy stated in an interview with the Sunday Business Post on January 21st 2007 that: "I have huge connections with the U.S. military and, if it came to using them, I would."

Deputy Creighton said: "Messrs Ganley and McEvaddy have major business interests in the US (Omega Air - McEvaddy; Rivada - Ganley)**. US foreign policy has traditionally been opposed to EU integration. The US supports the EU as an economic bloc but nothing more. The idea of a politically strong EU, acting as a check or counterbalance on the US does not sit well with our transatlantic friends. This policy has long been evident in NATO, where the US has consistently opposed the expansion of NATO to the new EU member states. And now as stronger political union becomes likely, these two figures with close links to the US military are trying to derail the process.

"The businesses of both Ulick McEvaddy and Declan Ganley are heavily dependent on contracts from the State Department, the Pentagon and US Government Agencies. I believe that these men are a lot less concerned about Irish sovereignty and the wording of the Lisbon Treaty than they are about the potential hit to their own personal business interests.

"The disingenuous arguments of Messrs Ganley and McEvaddy in relation to the Lisbon Treaty debate deserve to be exposed. It is time Declan Ganley and his friends admitted that their resourcing of the No to Lisbon campaign may simply and solely be about personal economic self interest, not about protecting the interests of the people of Ireland."

ENDS

**Check websites:
http://omegaaviationservices.com/wst_page2.html
"From the beginning, Omega Air has identified a market for both military and commercial applications for the Boeing 707, McDonnell Douglas DC-10 and various other airframes. Omega is the world's largest trader in B707 aircraft and the largest single suppliers of B707 aircraft to the U.S military, having supplied in excess of 35 aircraft to various tanker and Joint STARS programs with 99% dispatch reliability."

http://www.rivada.com/about/index.htm
"Rivada Networks' communications and information technology solutions enable governments and their first responders to rapidly, efficiently and effectively execute homeland security and defense missions"