End-of-Day judgement call for blueprint's future

The British and Irish Governments should know by the end of today if they can launch their blueprint on the future of the Northern Ireland peace process, sources in Dublin have claimed.

As Taoiseach Bertie Ahern returned from the summit of EU leaders in Athens where he discussed the latest IRA statement with Prime Minister Tony Blair, an Irish Government source admitted London and Dublin would have to make a judgment call soon.

“I think we will probably have a good idea by the end of today whether the two Prime Ministers will be able to launch their joint declaration,” the source said.

“Time really is running out.”

Mr Blair and Mr Ahern had hoped last Thursday to release proposals for implementing all of the Good Friday Agreement.

Their package covers the scaling down of the Army presence in Northern Ireland, policing, justice, the stability of the power-sharing institutions and a scheme which would enable IRA terror suspects who fled the province to avoid arrest to return home without being jailed.

It was hoped the joint declaration would re-establish the province‘s power-sharing government and create the right climate for a groundbreaking statement from the IRA on disarmament and an end to all paramilitary activity.

The IRA has been under pressure since the Northern Ireland Assembly was suspended last October to announce an end to paramilitarism.

David Trimble‘s Ulster Unionists will not countenance a return to power-sharing with Sinn Fein until the IRA has announced it will stop recruiting members, training, intelligence gathering, targeting, importing weapons and engaging in all forms of violence from rioting to gun attacks.

Following concerns last Thursday that the IRA statement would not be sufficient for the Ulster Unionists to go back into government with Sinn Fein, the two premiers were forced to put their plans on hold.

The Provisionals announced on Sunday, however, that they had passed a final draft of their statement to London and Dublin but both governments have been trying since then to achieve more clarity from the IRA about whether it intends to abandon paramilitarism.

In an interview with An Phoblacht, Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams today said he found it “incredible” that the Governments had not launched their blueprint .

The West Belfast MP insisted: “I have seen and read closely the IRA statement. I can tell you that it is clear and unambiguous. And the importance and enormity of this move should not be lost on the governments.

“I find it incredible that they have not yet acted on the basis of this unprecedented contribution.”

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble, however, claimed yesterday the statement fell “a long way short” of what was required for the restoration of devolution.