Unionist anger at new De Chastelain powers

Furious Ulster Unionists tonight hit out at being kept in the dark about new legislation transforming the issue of how the IRA disposes of weapons.

The scheme bringing in new methods gives General John de Chastelain a wider scope than ever as he seeks to ensure the Provisionals disarm.

It was on the back of these new laws that his Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) was able to report that the terror group has begun a process of putting its guns beyond use.

But senior Ulster Unionist John Taylor launched an attack at the British and Irish governments for introducing the new powers under a veil of secrecy.

Warning that it may have watered down Parliamentary legislation on decommissioning, he said: ‘‘It was only four hours later that we realised the scheme had been changed.

‘‘Apparently they have weakened the scheme and I want to see how it works in detail.

‘‘It may be phrased in such a way that the word of others is going to be accepted by de Chastelain rather than his own.’’

Under the new laws backed by Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid, the IICD now has greater flexibility in judging processes of getting rid of illegal guns.

The legislation’s effectiveness will be fully tested by the huge arsenal hidden in dumps across Ireland.

Three tons of Semtex and 1,700 guns, at least 1,000 of which are rifles, and more than one million rounds of ammunition are at the IRA’s disposal.

An RPG-7 rocket launcher firing anti-tank missiles, up to 40 rocket grenade launchers and home made mortars are also kept in storage by the Provisionals.

In judging whether this array of weapons has been rendered unusable, the IICD will now seek to fully test the new laws.

The decommissioning body urged the British and Irish governments to implement it in a bid to achieve a breakthrough in the seemingly impossible struggle to secure paramilitary guns.

General de Chastelain pointed out the scheme would help ‘‘to meet the general situation in which arms are made permanently inaccessible or permanently unusable, and therefore put completely beyond use’’.

But as speculation mounted tonight over how the IRA might meet demands for decommissioning in advance of an expected statement by the Provisionals leadership - senior political representatives declared the sort of action they believed was needed to satisfy them:

:: Peter Robinson, deputy leader of the anti-Good Friday Agreement Democratic Unionist Party

‘‘It must be done in the same way as the Loyalist Volunteer Force publicly put some of its weapons permanently beyond use.

‘‘It has to be seen that they are cut up and literally made into confetti.

‘‘How is concreting over dumps permanent? Concrete isn’t something that can never be re-opened.’’

:: John Taylor, former Ulster Unionist MP for Strangford and now a member of the House of Lords

‘‘Destruction of arms would go a major way to restoring public confidence in what’s happening in Northern Ireland.

‘‘But I have grave doubts about the likelihood of such an act so I’m happy to trust General de Chastelain.

‘‘As long as he is satisfied that the arms were out of use I would accept his word, but no one else.’’

:: Sean Neeson, leader of the non-sectarian Alliance Party

‘‘It doesn’t matter where the guns go, so long as they are put beyond use. Concreting over, or whatever, would satisfy us. Just so long as John de Chastelain was able to verify it.

‘‘We are very flexible about how it can be achieved. Whether or not the weapons are left to rust in bunkers which have been firmly secured. De Chastelain assured us he has a quite a good idea of what their inventory is.

‘‘What we want happening, would be a process. Not a one-off event, but a process which will be ongoing. John de Chastelain’s remit runs until February (2001), but I doubt if he would be prepared to stay on any longer.’’

:: Alex Maskey, Sinn Fein chief whip and a West Belfast member of the Northern Ireland Assembly

‘‘I wouldn’t have an idea, I wouldn’t have a clue how to put arms beyond use.

‘‘While I understand that some unionists are concerned with this issue, even though I would be a target of loyalists it doesn’t tax me as to how they would put their arms beyond use.

‘‘I just want them to stop using them, and I’m saying that as a target myself.’’

:: Kate Fearon, advisor to the Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition.

‘‘Our interest is the decommissioning of mindsets. There are so many red herrings about decommissioning. People could decommission today and buy new arms tomorrow.

‘‘What is important is the intention not to use weapons again. The inspections (of the dumps) were very significant and this latest move (by the IRA) is hugely significant as well. They have agreed to follow the decommissioning scheme as laid down in law.

‘‘Republicans have a tradition of putting their weapons to ground, not handing them over. Certainly, we would not be seeking a handover or surrender. What’s important is that the guns are not used and that they cannot be used. Concreting (the dumps) would be satisfactory to us.’’

:: Alex Attwood, SDLP chairman and a West Belfast member at the Northern Ireland Assembly.

‘‘What is needed is the building of confidence, and the more people know in order to have that confidence, the more there is likely to be confidence.

‘‘At this stage, the IICD needs to be in a position to make a further report of a further significant development and that arms are being put completely and verifiably beyond use.

‘‘That should be the standard against which people should now make judgments. Will the IICD make further reports of that nature, and how quickly will those reports be made?

‘‘Whilst what happened is helpful, that is where the process should now go.’’

:: Billy Hutchinson, a North Belfast Assemblyman who belongs to the Progressive Unionist Party, the political wing of the loyalist paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF)

‘‘The IRA don’t need to hand over their guns. Guns are not the problem. It is the people who pull the triggers. We have watched the subtle changes within the republican movement like the decision to enter (peace) talks and changes in their constitution to enter Stormont.

‘‘If they tell us the Good Friday Agreement is a stepping stone to a united Ireland and that they don’t believe in the principle of consent, then they can give up all the guns they want. It does not make any difference to loyalists or unionists.

‘‘But if they are saying the Agreements can bring the two main traditions on this island together, and allow us to focus on the problems which exist, and accept the principle of consent, we’d be happy enough to accept it without worrying about guns.

‘‘It's about the IRA’s intent, and if they show us something positive, then it would be worth far more than any guns.’’

:: Billy Armstrong, an Ulster Unionist Assemblyman from Mid-Ulster.

‘‘This should all be about mind decommissioning, but that will never happen. If they do decommission, I hope it will be in the mindset as well.

‘‘But there will still be other elements out there who will never change. There will always be the renegades.

‘‘I don’t give a hoot how the guns are decommissioned, as long as they are left so that they cannot be used. There is no point saying they have them (the bunkers) sealed and they (the IRA) have the key. They have to be unusable for any person.’’

:: Fine Gael’s Austin Currie, a founder-member of the SDLP

‘‘I don’t care how they do it as long as the weapons are permanently out of commission.

‘‘I have never believed the IRA would hand over the weapons but there has always been a provision in the regulations from them to put those weapons beyond use. Secondary to me is how it is done.

‘‘Whether they are concreted over, whether they blow them up under supervision, as long as they are permanently no longer available to them or anybody else.’’