Decommissioning regulations extended

The Government has extended the regulations which govern the procedures for IRA decommissioning into next year, it was confirmed today.

The regulations, part of the state’s Decommissioning Act 1997, were due to expire next Tuesday but an order has been signed by Minister for Justice, John O’Donoghue extending them to February 2002.

The move comes as Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble set a July 1 deadline for the IRA to ‘‘move substantially’’ on the issue, failing which he will resign as Northern Ireland First Minister.

A spokesman for the department of justice said today: ‘‘The regulations in the Decommissioning Act needed to be renewed and the minister has signed an order extending them to February 27, 2002, that date being chosen to be in line with the British.

‘‘While the regulations will be put before the Dail and Seanad the lower and upper houses of the Irish parliament the orders are already effective and the only power of the parliament is a negative one to annul them.’’

The IRA announced ahead of multi-party talks on the stalled peace process at Hillsborough in March that it would re-engage with General de Chastelain’s decommissioning body.

Responding to the move, Pat Doherty, vice-president of Sinn Fein, said: ‘‘No-one has worked harder on this issue than Sinn Fein.

‘‘We have gone well beyond our obligations under the Good Friday Agreement because we are committed to the full implementation of the agreement.

‘‘If this issue is to be resolved then all the parties involved including the British Government must shoulder their responsibilities.’’