‘Genuine conflict resolution’ will resolve arms issue

The issue of IRA weapons will not be resolved on British or unionist terms, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams said tonight.

In an uncompromising message on the eve of make or break talks in England, Mr Adams said decommissioning could only be achieved as part of a genuine conflict resolution process.

‘‘Sinn Fein accepts our responsibilities on the arms issue,’’ he said. ‘‘All the other parties have exactly the same responsibility.

‘‘They need to consider what they have done to instil confidence within physical force republicanism that unionism and the British Government is serious about building a just and equitable dispensation.’’

The Sinn Fein leader’s comments follow preparatory talks at Hillsborough, Co Down, setting the groundwork for intensive all-party negotiations at Weston Park in Shropshire on Monday and Tuesday.

After today’s meeting, the Ulster Unionist leader said he was not optimistic about a breakthrough taking place, adding that the one issue on the agenda would be IRA disarmament.

But Mr Adams called on the former First Minister to ‘‘get real’’, adding that progress had been by republicans on the arms issue.

He pointed out that the IRA had acknowledged that weapons would have to be dealt with and had engaged positively with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning.

‘‘Many republicans are angry at a unionist leadership that ridicules, belittles and undermines this progress, while at the same time doing absolutely nothing to end the daily bomb and gun attacks by loyalists on Catholic families,’’ he added.