IRA Army Council no longer operational, say IMC

The IRA's ruling Army Council which once directed its campaign of violence is no longer operational, a major report revealed today.

The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) declared that the IRA has disbanded its terrorist structures and relinquished the leadership necessary to wage war.

The watchdog's declaration today that the IRA campaign is "well and truly over" comes ahead of crucial talks between unionists and republicans aimed at securing the future of the North's power-sharing Government.

Prior to the report's publication, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Peter Robinson said his party would demand complete removal of the IRA's Army Council to secure political progress.

Today the IMC 12-page report said: "We are aware of the questions posed about the public disbandment of (Provisional Irish Republican Army's) PIRA's leadership structures.

"We believe that PIRA has chosen another method of bringing what it describes as its armed struggle to a final close.

"Under PIRA's own rules the Army Council was the body that directed its military campaign.

"Now that that campaign is well and truly over, the Army Council by deliberate choice is no longer operational or functional."

It added: "This situation has been brought about by a conscious decision to let it fall into disuse rather than through any other mechanism."

The report concluded: "The mechanism which they have chosen to bring the armed conflict to a complete end has been the standing down of the structures which engaged in the armed campaign and the conscious decision to allow the Army Council to fall into disuse.

"By taking these steps PIRA has completely relinquished the leadership and other structures appropriate to a time of armed conflict."

Northern Secretary Shaun Woodward said the report confirmed that the IRA had ceased to function.

"This groundbreaking report by the IMC makes clear that the Army Council is now redundant," he said.

He added: "I urge people to read the report very carefully.

"As the IMC made clear, 'the leadership structures have definitely ceased to function in the way they did during the time of conflict'.

"Today's report confirms this has happened."

Mr Woodward added: "PIRA has met its commitment.

"It has abandoned all terrorist structures, its recruitment and PIRA's so-called 'military' departments have ceased to function and have been disbanded."

The Irish and British Governments had asked the IMC, made up of security experts and politicians from the UK and Ireland, to compile a special report on the status of IRA structures.

Prior to the official release of the report today, it was speculated that the IMC would conclude that the Army Council remained in place, but was not engaged in any illegal activity.

Today in its report the IMC, which monitors paramilitary groups in the North, said the IRA's redundant structures were gradually disappearing, but said it did not expect any announcements from the republican movement as that process concluded.

"We believe that for some time now it has given up what it used to do and that by design it is being allowed to wither away," said the report.

"There have not been and we do not foresee that there will be formal announcements about the disbandment of all or parts of the structure."

It added: "In our view the way in which the leadership has adopted an entirely different course, disbanded terrorist-related structures and capacity and engaged in different activities, and members have moved on to other things, means that the PIRA of the recent and violent past is well beyond recall."

The Irish Government welcomed the report as very positive and said it not only showed the IRA had gone away, but was not coming back.

It urged the parties in the North to complete devolution by agreeing to assume responsibility for policing and justice.

Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr Dermot Ahern TD, said: "The Government welcomes this report and its conclusions as very positive."

"This report demonstrates not only that PIRA has gone away, but that it won't be coming back.

"The IMC could not have been more unequivocal in its conclusion that the provisional movement is now irreversibly locked into following the political path."

Noting the report's assessment of IRA support for the criminal justice system, the minister added: "I welcome the IMC's findings of growing public support for the police in areas where this has historically been lacking.

"I hope that the political parties in the North can now complete the process of devolution by assuming responsibility for policing and justice powers.

"Such a move would be clearly in the interests of the people they serve and, for my part, I look forward to cooperating fully with the new arrangements."

The IMC report said that the IRA had decommissioned its weapons and had taken a purely political path, adding that it was the only paramilitary group to have gone to such lengths.

Asked if the report would go far enough to meet DUP demands for a disbandment of the IRA Army Council, Mr Woodward insisted the IRA pose no threat.

He said: "If there isn't an army then actually what are we talking about here?"

British prime minister Gordon Brown said today's report should provide "reassurance and hope" to everyone who wants an end to conflict in the North and called on all the political parties to work together to complete the peace process.

Speaking in 10 Downing Street, Mr Brown said: "This is an important and significant day for Northern Ireland.

"An independent report has told us that the Provisional Army Council is no longer operational, is not functioning and is redundant.

"I believe that this will provide reassurance and hope for everybody who wants to see this chapter of Northern Ireland's history closed.

"It is now time for all the political parties to work together to complete the final stages of the peace process - to complete the devolution of policing and justice.

"In the next few days, I will use all my efforts, working with the parties in Northern Ireland, to make sure that the devolution of policing and justice can go ahead and the final stages of the peace process will now be completed, to the better government of Northern Ireland and to the peace and prosperity of the people there."