Unionists urge Bush to issue IRA ultimatum

US President George Bush is being urged to deliver a strong statement calling on the IRA to declare its war over during his two-day visit to Northern Ireland.

Despite his obvious focus on the war in Iraq, the US President will meet the leaders of Northern Ireland’s pro-Agreement parties at Hillsborough Castle tomorrow as part of efforts to put the peace process back on track.

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble is hoping Mr Bush will issue an ultimatum to republicans, threatening sanctions in America if the IRA fails to disarm.

“I would hope that the President will do what he can to help things along and bring home to people what needs to be done.

“The IRA and the republican movement have reached the moment of truth and that moment of truth has to be the abandonment now of the physical force movement,” he said.

With British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern returning on Thursday to make a joint declaration aimed at restoring devolution it is hoped Mr Bush’s contribution can create the necessary impetus for a final breakthrough.

Controversial proposals include allowing paramilitary “on-the-run” prisoners to return to Northern Ireland and imposing sanctions on parties that fail to honour their commitments to peace in the power-sharing administration.

Unionists are unhappy with the prospect of an amnesty for terrorist suspects or the prospect of ex-paramilitaries serving on district policing partnerships.

Republicans are resisting unionist demands for a public act of IRA decommissioning as part of the price for the restoration of the power-sharing Assembly at Stormont.

They are also continuing to oppose the imposition of sanctions, believing this demand is aimed against them.

With an IRA statement expected some time after the joint statement by the British and Irish premiers, Mr Trimble is demanding that disarmament had to be both visible and transparent.

“It has be done in a such a way that provides public confidence. Unfortunately previous decommissioning did not create the public confidence that we had hoped.”

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams believed a deal could still be done on Thursday but said his party needed to be reassured that there would be no further threats from unionists to bring down the power-sharing institutions.

“Let’s see in the wake of the joint declaration and any other announcement that are made by the Taoiseach and the Prime Minister what the response is,” he added.

Sinn Fein supporters will be among the thousands of anti-war protesters expected to make their way to the Co Down village of Hillsborough tomorrow for a major demonstration against the war in Iraq.

Mr Adams said there were clear contradictions in holding a war summit in conjunction with discussions on the Irish peace process.

But he praised the US government’s role in efforts to bring about peace in Northern Ireland.

“This administration and others have played a key role in the peace process here and I don’t have any problems talking about all of that.

But “I’m very mindful that there are contradictions .

“If I have the opportunity I have no problem being on an anti-war demonstration and then going in to talk to the President.

His unease was shared by Mark Durkan, leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

“Bringing the two issues together in this sort of event management way is highly questionable. I have registered my deepest misgivings with the governments about this,” he said.