13/08/2001
Assembly re-instated after turbulent 48 hours
Northern Ireland Assembly ministers returned to their posts on Monday following a 48-hour long suspension to give all the political parties time to reflect.
However, while Northern Ireland Secretary of State Dr John Reid urged the political parties to use the six-weeks gained by the temporary suspension to resolve the outstanding issues of decommissioning, policing and normalisation, the response on all side has been one of heightened tension.
Amid fears that the IRA may step away from the decommissioning offer tabled at the last minute to the de Chastelain commission, Republicans are furious about the suspension of the political institutions put in place by the Good Friday Agreement.
Unionists on the other hand are enraged by the nationalists’ stance which they see as doing nothing after being given two deadline extensions and three years in which to decommission. Economy Minister Sir Reg Empey said unionists were asking republicans to honour the commitments made on decommissioning. He said that republicans’ use of this “bargaining chip” to keep the peace process on tenterhooks was “morally repugnant”.
Neither side appears optimistic that there will be actual decommissioning within the six-week breathing space won by Dr Reid’s action to suspend the Assembly.
With no plans to bring the sides together in yet another attempt to achieve some form of consensus, political commentators see little prospect for advancement in the next six-weeks.
Speaking after a meeting on Saturday with Dr Reid, Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowan appealed for the politicians in the north to use the time productively and to work together.
Dr Reid considers a deal to be “tantalisingly close,” yet Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams does not apparently share this view. He told supporters gathered for a rally to commemorate the 1981 hunger strike on Sunday that republicans would neither give in to the British government nor yield to unionist pressure in the six-week period ahead.
The SDLP, stopping short of supporting the as yet unpublished proposals on policing, have called on the government to release full details of the implementation on policing. An SDLP spokesman said that uncertainty surrounding the 175 points in the Patten implementation proposals could be removed by publishing the document.
(SP)
However, while Northern Ireland Secretary of State Dr John Reid urged the political parties to use the six-weeks gained by the temporary suspension to resolve the outstanding issues of decommissioning, policing and normalisation, the response on all side has been one of heightened tension.
Amid fears that the IRA may step away from the decommissioning offer tabled at the last minute to the de Chastelain commission, Republicans are furious about the suspension of the political institutions put in place by the Good Friday Agreement.
Unionists on the other hand are enraged by the nationalists’ stance which they see as doing nothing after being given two deadline extensions and three years in which to decommission. Economy Minister Sir Reg Empey said unionists were asking republicans to honour the commitments made on decommissioning. He said that republicans’ use of this “bargaining chip” to keep the peace process on tenterhooks was “morally repugnant”.
Neither side appears optimistic that there will be actual decommissioning within the six-week breathing space won by Dr Reid’s action to suspend the Assembly.
With no plans to bring the sides together in yet another attempt to achieve some form of consensus, political commentators see little prospect for advancement in the next six-weeks.
Speaking after a meeting on Saturday with Dr Reid, Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowan appealed for the politicians in the north to use the time productively and to work together.
Dr Reid considers a deal to be “tantalisingly close,” yet Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams does not apparently share this view. He told supporters gathered for a rally to commemorate the 1981 hunger strike on Sunday that republicans would neither give in to the British government nor yield to unionist pressure in the six-week period ahead.
The SDLP, stopping short of supporting the as yet unpublished proposals on policing, have called on the government to release full details of the implementation on policing. An SDLP spokesman said that uncertainty surrounding the 175 points in the Patten implementation proposals could be removed by publishing the document.
(SP)
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The haul of weapons decommissioned by the UVF and Red Hand Commandos included guns, ammunition and explosives, it has been revealed. However, independent observers - who described the cache as a "major decommissioning event" - have not said how many weapons were actually given up.
02 July 2001
DECOMMISSIONING DEPENDS ON POLITICAL PROCESS
IN their latest report the Independent International Decommissioning Commission has said that there has been no decommissioning by any of the main paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.
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IN their latest report the Independent International Decommissioning Commission has said that there has been no decommissioning by any of the main paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland.
24 October 2001
Reid confirms immediate scaling down of security
As an immediate response to the IRA statement and verification of decommissioning by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, the Northern Ireland Secretary of State confirmed the immediate demolition of a number of security bases in Northern Ireland.
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31 July 2001
Trimble insists that disarmament is the main issue
Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has again warned that if the Northern Ireland Assembly is to survive, then arms decommissioning must take place. Prior to the publication of the British and Irish governments proposals package, Mr Trimble said that republicans had to face up to the current problems facing the peace process.
Trimble insists that disarmament is the main issue
Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has again warned that if the Northern Ireland Assembly is to survive, then arms decommissioning must take place. Prior to the publication of the British and Irish governments proposals package, Mr Trimble said that republicans had to face up to the current problems facing the peace process.
14 November 2018
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Northern Ireland WeatherToday:A sunny but frosty start for many. However cloud increases by midday with a few showers reaching the north coast, these mostly light but spreading inland this afternoon. Chilly. Maximum temperature 8 °C.Tonight:A rather cloudy evening with scattered showers. Becoming drier through the night with some good clear spells developing and a patchy frost away from coasts. Minimum temperature 0 °C.
