IRA in arms breakthrough

BBC ^ | 23rd Oct 2001 | BBC

[slhill]

The IRA has said it has put some weapons "beyond use" in what will be widely seen as an historic breakthrough for the Northern Ireland peace process. Confirmation of what the IRA called an "unprecedented" move came in a statement on Tuesday. The IRA leadership confirmed that a scheme agreed with the decommissioning body in August to put weapons "completely and verifiably beyond use" had been implemented.

"This unprecedented move is to save the peace process and to persuade others of our genuine intentions" --IRA statement

This is the first time that a republican group which has violently resisted the British presence in Ireland has ever disposed of weaponry. The move - long demanded by unionists - seems certain to breathe new life into the troubled peace process. As yet there is no detail as to what quantity of arms was involved or where it occurred. If there is to be more detail, it may come in a report from the de Chastelain arms commission later.

'Process in jeopardy'

The statement referred to a political process on the "point of collapse" and said such a "collapse would certainly and eventually put the overall peace process in jeopardy". The IRA said its motivation was "to save the peace process". UK Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to make a statement on the IRA move later on Tuesday.

If the move is acceptable to Northern Ireland's largest unionist party, the Ulster Unionists, led by David Trimble, it could lead to the restoration of Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive. The UK government is expected to respond swiftly to the move, possibly by scaling back on some controversial military bases in south Armagh.

The move by the IRA to begin decommissioning had been widely expected after a statement from Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams on Monday that he had recommended a "ground-breaking" step on the arms issue. The absence of decommissioning of arms has been a key stumbling block to progress in the stalled Northern Ireland political process. The leader of the nationalist SDLP, John Hume, said he hoped the move would lead to a positive response from Mr Trimble and his party in putting the institutions back in place.

The latest crisis was precipitated by David Trimble's resignation as first minister in July, a move designed to put pressure on the mainstream republican movement. In August, the IRA confirmed that it had agreed a scheme with the international arms decommissioning body to put arms "completely and verifiably beyond use". However, the unionists rejected the IRA statement, and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid suspended the devolved institutions for one day to trigger another six-week negotiating period. That sparked fury among nationalists - with republicans accusing the British Government of pandering to the unionists. Less than a week after widespread speculation that decommissioning could begin, the IRA issued a new statement, withdrawing the offer it had put before General John de Chastelain's international arms body.

Political crisis

However, in September, the IRA said it would "intensify" its engagement with the de Chastelain commission.

Then, in October, David Trimble said he intended to bring the political crisis to a head by withdrawing the rest of the Ulster Unionist ministers because his party could no longer sit in the executive with Sinn Fein.

The Democratic Unionist Party also said it would withdraw its ministers from the executive.

The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, headed by General de Chastelain was set up under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement and began its work on 24 September 1997.

Its role is to verify the decommissioning process.

[kidd]

I am probably quite incorrect, as you noted. But if this started 20 years ago, then Clinton has little to do with this development either.

[Int]

So what does the IRA have? Here's what the Irish Times estimates:

• 650 AK47/AKM assault rifles;

• 36 Armalite AR-15 assault rifles;

• 2 Barret M82A1 sniper rifles;

• 60 Webley .455 revolvers;

• 20 12.7 x 107mm DshK heavy machine guns;

• 12 7.62mm FN MAG machine guns;

• 6 LPO-50 flamethrowers;

• 40 RPG-7 rocket launchers;

• 1 SAM-7 surface-to-air missile;

• 600 bomb detonators;

• 3 tons of Semtex plastic explosives

[NH Liberty]

"so if it costs a ton of $$$ to stay there, and they don't really want to be there, and polls show that blokes back home across the pond don't want to be a part of that mess anymore, please explain why they haven't packed up and gone home post haste."

Because many (most?) of the people who live there wish to remain part of the UK.

[Bob Burnett]

The amazing thing about this thread is not once do we read about 'kill 'em/ nuke 'em', the validity of targeted killing, and nasty rag-heads. And notice also, the IRA are, to some, the good terrorists, their terrorism being so focused, so controlled. Especially amusing was the talk about only limited innocent victims by the IRA! Everyone was polite and didn't bring up the attempted killing of Margaret Thatcher and her government or the murder of Lord Mountbatten. Wouldn't Sharon have become absolutely unglued were that to have happened to his people?

Lots of erudite and profound understanding of positions on both sides which was very nice. Lots of tut-tut my cause is better than your cause and cluck-cluck my religion is better than yours.

The enlightened discussion would even go back to our revolution, and thank heavens nobody pulled out the infamous bibical map to choke off rational debate.

But when it comes to Israel vs. Palestinians notice how things revert back to black and white primeval orgasms of simple minded and racist hate against Palestinians/Arabs/Muslims.

What a difference when the antagonists are Western.

[kidd]

No problem, my friend. I'm Irish-Catholic myself and I am very sympathetic towards IRA causes, but am rarely in agreement with their methods. Your posts are more of an education for me.

[mcollins]

Its been 80 freeking years. We won the war. Now lets accept the peace treaty.

You dont see French terrorists trying to get back the channel isles. You dont see German terrorists trying to get back Metz and Strasbourg.

Its over.

[Norn Iron]

A lot of the IRA material came from Libya, some from 'friends' in the USA.

[Norn Iron]

Some reports suggest that Clinton's role may have been more than just diplomatic.

American special service personnel arrived at the Chinook crash site on Kintyre in June 1994 before their British counterparts. 25 of NI's top security personnel perished in the crash. When asked why they were there the answer given was: "We are looking for something that belongs to us".

Was the Chinook sabotaged as the price of an IRA ceasefire? It followed a few weeks later.

There are strong similarities between this crash and the one in which Secretary Brown perished in two years later in Croatia.

[Norn Iron]

A wonderful republican fantasy - Protestant blood.

Republicans moved on decommissioning solely because Haass kicked ass. It wasn't very clever of Gerry Kelly to tell Haass to get stuffed awhile back!

[Norn Iron]

One of the secret meetings was held on November 5, 1993.

[rockfish59]

i'll believe there'll be peace in ireland when:

this happens

[slhill]

Still convinced it's only a "so-called" breakthrough? Jeez, whaddya want, that the PIRA is going to lead CNN to all its weapons dumps, then offer itself up for handcuffs? Please try and look on the bright side. If Mr Trimble and Mr Adams have both found something to smile about, the rest of us can as well...

[slhill]

Well, it's possible that the British gov't views Northern Ireland as the last vestiges of its Empire and won't let go for that reason, but it's a pretty odd scenario. This gov't is not, after all, a gov't widely believed to have a huge attachment to history, precedent and tradition. If Blair could get more votes through helping to end the conflict, then that's what he'd do. And of course, that's what he's done. But he won't win votes by letting a civil war develop. As for Scotland -- if a majority of Scots wanted to end their ties to England, it would happen. But they don't. Scottish nationalism is an important, but not an overwhelming, force in Scottish politics.

[slhill]

Is that all? I'd have thought they had a lot more than that. Just goes to show... of course, if (and pray God they won't) things took a turn for the bloodier, then it wouldn't be *that* tough for the IRA to re-arm. The most important decommissioning that can happen is that the paramilitaries feel that negotiating pays more dividends than bombing. Here's hoping.

[slhill]

Thanks for this long, interesting and reasonable post, which I thought provided some useful speculations as to the motivations behind the British government's behaviour. I think that your descriptions of the motivations of the political parties are very interesting -- and that two of the forces behind the moves to peace have been the increasing marginalisation of the Tory party, and Tony's conviction that he can make advances in England if he can deliver a settlement in NI.