Adams insists DUP wanted too much

UNIONISTS’ demands that IRA disarmament be photographed cannot be met, Gerry Adams warned last night.

As the Sinn Féin leader insisted the Provisionals were prepared to transform the Northern peace process by destroying their guns, he said the paramilitary organisation viewed it as a humiliating step too far.

Following the publication of the proposals for restoring the Stormont power-sharing administration by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Mr Adams stressed huge achievements had been made.

But with the devolution package derailed over the issue of decommissioning photos, he declared: “Is all of what has been achieved, including by the DUP, going to be lost because of this absolutist and unreasonable and, in my view, unachievable demand?”

Mr Adams told how his party had been surprised that the issue of photographic proof was first raised. “We asked the government to take it out of their draft outlines and they explained to us there was no other way of getting the DUP to look at this.

“And anyway it wasn’t our proposal, it was from the DUP, put in there by the two governments.”

Even though the intense negotiations fell short of restoring devolution, Mr Adams emphasised the scale of the achievements, especially as his bitter political foe, DUP leader Ian Paisley was involved.

“Here we have the British Prime Minister saying that Ian Paisley has said yes, said yes to power-sharing, to all-Ireland structures.

“Presumably he doesn’t have a problem with the IRA putting its weapons beyond use. The idea of witnesses actually came from him. If the IRA goes for that idea, he can’t have a problem with that.

“But he has called for a process of humiliation. It also has to be done in a way which is humiliating by the people who are doing it.

“This should not be held back on the basis of this demand,” he added.

The West Belfast MP added that the magnitude of the advancement should not be underplayed.

“For the IRA to agree what we believe will be hugely significant.

“Let’s not let that be lost over this demand which is not achievable.”

And he pledged: “We’re not giving up on it. Those that think this is impossible are an echo of those who thought 20 years ago that the peace process wasn’t possible.”