Govts face grilling over peace plan

The British and Irish Governments were today expected to field inquiries from the Northern Ireland parties as they continued to weigh up take-it-or-leave it proposals to keep the Good Friday Agreement afloat.

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid was poised to answer queries from several of the North’s parties on a 10-page document issued by the two Governments yesterday.

However, with the parties given four days to give their verdict on the proposals, there were warnings from unionists that the Government’s initiative would fail if there was no move by the IRA on decommissioning.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said: ‘‘In the absence of decommissioning there will be no progress and consequently no Ulster Unionist will be able to offer himself for election as First Minister.

‘‘There can’t be a moral vacuum at the heart of this. We are not legitimising terrorism. It’s not all right to be in Government by day and out engaged in other activities by night.’’

The 10-page document produced by the Governments yesterday covered decommissioning, police reform, security measures, the political institutions, inquiries into controversial killings and Orange marches.

On the issue of decommissioning, the British and Irish Governments insisted disarmament was an ‘‘indispensable part’’ of the Good Friday Agreement.

The paper placed the responsibility for arms firmly with General John de Chastelain’s Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, claiming the issue must be resolved to its satisfaction.

Other measures included:

:: A revised timetable for the introduction of new policing measures including the setting up of a new police board by the end of next month and a review to be carried out, starting by March 2002.

:: A rolling programme reducing the numbers of troops and demolishing military surveillance towers in south Armagh.

:: The appointment of an international judge to carry out investigations into alleged collusion between police on both sides of the Irish border and republican and loyalist paramilitaries into a number of murders, including two RUC officers shot dead by the IRA near the border and the blowing up of a top Ulster judge and his wife.

:: Paramilitaries on the run will now be free to return home without the threat of facing charges.

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid, who announced the package yesterday with foreign minister Brian Cowen, said: ‘‘They will not satisfy everyone in all parties, but they represent our best chance of a viable way forward.

‘‘Now is the time for cool heads and steady nerves and for calm reflection.’’

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams, whose party will consider its response to the document at a meeting of its national executive tomorrow, said it would take a critical but constructive approach to the document.

The Government has still to produce the revised implementation plan on police reform - an issue which could be crucial to any IRA response to the Governments’ document.

British Government sources today signalled the plan would be shown to the parties on Friday.

However it was not certain if the parties would actually receive a copy of the plan.

UUP sources admitted the document in its current form would be a ‘‘hard sell’’ for Mr Trimble to his party, even with decommissioning.

But there was also speculation at Stormont that it could be a precursor to a move by the IRA to put its weapons beyond use.

‘‘You don’t produce a document as green (nationalist) as that without the possibility of the IRA doing something about its arms dumps having been discussed,’’ one source noted.