| Northern Ireland- the peace process |
| Peace in Northern Ireland has been put under threat by an IRA refusal to put its weapons beyond use. Let me explain why. Where does the Northern Ireland peace process stand? At crisis point. The Provisional IRA has withdrawn a recent proposal to decommission its arms. Why did it do that? In a statement, the leadership said that demands from the British government and Ulster Unionists over decommissioning were "totally unacceptable." It has blamed the unionists' rejection of its proposals for the withdrawal. What was the problem? The IRA did not agree a timescale for when the weapons would be put beyond use. An Ulster Unionist MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, said the IRA statement showed that the decommissioning plan was no more than a tactical ploy.What does the IRA want in return for its weapons? The organisation says it wants deep-seated change within the Royal Ulster Constabulary, Northern Ireland's police force. It wants British troops out of Northern Ireland and an overhaul of the judicial system. What weapons do the paramilitaries have? Security sources estimate that republican paramilitaries have three tonnes of Semtex high explosive, more than 1,000 rifles, 600 hand guns and more than 1m rounds of ammunition. They are thought to have ground-to-air missiles and about 40 rocket grenade launchers. Security sources think that loyalist paramilitaries have far fewer weapons, including 80 machine guns, 75 rifles and 675 pistols. Are the IRA serious about putting their weapons beyond use? It is hard to know - when the IRA disclosed its decommissioning plan the independent supervisory body, chaired by Canadian general John de Chastelain, issued a statement saying: "We believe that this proposal initiates a process that will put IRA arms completely and verifiably beyond use." But unionists suspect the group may simply be using the promise of decommissioning as a negotiating tool. Can the peace process advance without decommissioning? David Trimble, the leader of the Ulster Unionist party, which is the biggest Protestant group in the province, refuses to share power with Sinn Fein until the IRA takes its weapons out of service. He resigned as first minister of the assembly over the issue on July 1. It goes without saying that any lasting peace in Northern ireland requires the IRA, and all paramilitaries, to disband. We shall see............ |
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