Hain bids to downplay row over IRA weapons

NORTHERN Secretary Pater Hain last night moved to downplay the row over whether the IRA had held on to weapons, insisting it was not possible to account for every single gun.

He said it was the “big picture” of Republicans abandoning the armed struggle that mattered.

During a visit to Dublin Mr Hain stated he did not expect Ian Paisley’s DUP to “gallop” into power-sharing with Sinn Féin, but yesterday’s Independent Monitoring Commission’s report laid the groundwork for constructive talks.