IRA will remain illegal, says McDowell

THE IRA will remain an illegal organisation even if it ceases its armed struggle and lives up to its commitment to pursue exclusively peaceful means, Justice Minister Michael McDowell said yesterday.

In a stance which seems materially at odds with that of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern - who intimated that the IRA may evolve into a form of veterans’ and commemoration body, Mr McDowell yesterday insisted that IRA members would still be prosecuted under the Offences Against the State Act 1939.

“The IRA remains an illegal organisation because its constitution is treasonable under the laws of this State,” Mr McDowell said in an interview with RTÉ’s This Week programme.