IRA to scrap arms in two dumps

The IRA has decided to decommission weapons in two of its secret arms dumps which have been examined by Government appointed inspectors, it was claimed tonight.

As Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid prepared for a new 24-hour suspension of the Stormont Assembly in a bid to safeguard the Good Friday Agreement, security sources said the Provisionals were preparing to make a significant move to meet disarmament demands by London, Dublin and Washington.

Even though Sir Ronnie Flanagan, Chief Constable of the Royal Ulster Constabulary said he was not aware of any plans for imminent disarmament, authoritative security sources in Belfast tonight claimed the republican leadership had already agreed to make a gesture.

The two dumps which have been examined three times by Cyril Ramaposa and Maarti Ahtisaari twice would either be sealed over or emptied and the weapons disposed of, sources said.

With a new poll claiming that a majority of Sinn Fein voters now want the Provisionals to start putting their guns completely and verifiably beyond use, a security source said: ‘‘After America, the situation has moved into a different dimension, they (the leadership) believe it is now an even greater imperative and we expect the process to begin fairly soon. It is only a matter of time, certainly before the end of the year.’’

The IRA is to have more talks with General John de Chastelain, head of the decommissioning body, and despite attempts to distance itself from the arrests of the three IRA suspects in Colombia, the pressure on the republican movement over decommissioning is huge.

A poll today claimed that 85% of people across Northern Ireland believe they should begin now.

Two secret arms dumps in the Irish Republic have been checked three times by Cyril Ramaphosa and Martti Athisaari in June and October last year, and again last May.

‘‘They will either be emptied or sealed in some sort of way,’’ said a security source.

He added: ‘‘The penny has yet to drop with the Irish Government, but can an illegal army retain two recognised arms dumps, identified by international observers, on its territory for an almost intolerable period?

‘‘If it is to maintain its integrity, particularly in the aftermath of New York, the Irish Government cannot permit this prevarication to continue much longer and allow the guns to remain buried in Irish soil. I don’t think that screw has been turned yet.’’

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams who had talks with Dr Reid at Hillsborough Castle, Co Down today said demands on the IRA would not work.

He said: ‘‘Anybody who has studied or has any sense of this struggle over the last 30 years is bound to know that the politics of pressure against the IRA is counter-productive.’’

He also warned that suspension would be illegal and called instead for a review of the operation of the Agreement.

An announcement is expected in Brussels where Dr Reid joined Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Republic’s Taoiseach Bertie Ahern at a European summit on terrorism.

The Government is hoping by suspending the Assembly and other institutions for 24 hours, it will be able to secure a move on IRA arms over the next six weeks.

British and Irish officials have been urging unionists to back the one-day suspension and test the IRA’s willingness to disarm.

However there were warnings Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble could face a backlash from hardline elements in his party over the one-day suspension.

The hardliners would prefer a longer, more indefinite freezing of the institutions.

A UUP Assembly source said: ‘‘The reality is that when Tony Blair is talking tough about international terrorism, he is asking us to stay put in government with the representatives of republican terrorism.

‘‘That is playing very badly among unionist voters and the mood is such that we are being told to make a stand now to secure decommissioning instead of putting our faith in another six weeks on the basis of some vague promise.’’

Mr Trimble has summoned MPs, Assembly members and party officers to a meeting at his party headquarters in Belfast tomorrow to discuss the political situation.

Unionist sources were also not ruling out a requisitioning of the 860-member council to tie the party into a policy of seeking to exclude Sinn Fein ministers in the Assembly during the six-week period and failing that, withdrawing the party’s ministers from government.