Official moves to bring SF in from cold

DUBLIN and London last night moved swiftly to bring Sinn Féin in from the cold, despite ceasefire observers giving the IRA’s claims of abandoning violence and crime only a limited endorsement.

The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) said signs the organisation had moved away from the armed struggle were “encouraging”.

However, the commissioners admitted their evidence was “limited” as five of the six months covered by the report came before the IRA announced its total cessation of activity at the end of July.