Unionists need time to be convinced of peace

THE testing period for the IRA to prove its statement is for real will be extended if there is a lack of transparency around the disarmament process, republicans were warned today.

Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson said his party believed unionists would need a longer time to be convinced the Provisionals had consigned its armed campaign for history if there was no photographic record of weapons decommissioning.

While the Lagan Valley MP said his party had not yet assessed how long that testing period would last, he warned republicans: “The assessment period will have to be prolonged because of the failure of the IRA to decommission in an open and verifiable manner.