IRA 'may have further disarmed'
The IRA may already have carried out a major new act of disarmament in order to restore Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government, a Unionist said tonight.
As British Prime Minister Tony Blair pushed for a deal in time to hold elections in Belfast, senior Ulster Unionists said the Provisionals could have destroyed an arms batch weeks or even months ago.
Hardline UUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson said: “I would not be surprised if the IRA has engaged in an act of decommissioning as a down payment with the Government.
“They want elections before Christmas and clearly the Prime Minister needs something to cover himself.”
Negotiations to restore the collapsed Stormont administration broke-down earlier this year amid bitter recriminations on all sides.
But with Assembly polls pencilled in for November 13, London and Dublin have been involved in a frantic drive to break the deadlock.
Mr Blair held talks with Sinn Féin leaders Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness at Downing Street today.
More discussions between Mr Adams and Mr Trimble are due to be held in Belfast tomorrow with elections expected to be announced next week.
Republicans have been demanding guarantees that the UUP will no longer be able to bring down the devolved institutions which fell 12 months ago amid claims of an IRA spy operation.
But unionists insist they will not go back into government with Sinn Fein until they receive cast-iron assurances the Provos will be wound up.
Public disarmament, rather than the two secret acts confirmed by Canadian General John de Chastelain’s International Decommissioning Body has also been called for.
It is believed Mr Trimble has privately speculated that the IRA may already have put more weapons beyond use.
The claims were dismissed, however, by Sinn Féin sources close to the negotiations.
“This is nonsense and rubbish,” said one.
Elections to the Stormont Assembly were cancelled when London and Dublin failed to secure agreement from the political parties in April.
At the time the IRA released a statement declaring it had authorised a third act of putting arms beyond use, but the offer was taken off the table when the negotiations broke down.
Republicans stressed tonight that it would undermine the present talks, where movement is expected from all sides, if the IRA had already destroyed another part of its arsenal.
A spokesman for Gen de Chastelain, who is understood to be in Northern Ireland, also played down the claims.
He said: “I cannot tell you of any report that we would have put to the Governments. I have no knowledge of that.” Mr Donaldson claimed whatever the Provisionals do has to be more concrete this time.
“We need to see a proper process dealing conclusively not only with weapons decommissioning but also paramilitary activity.
“Proper and visible verification must take place; a mere report of secret decommissioning the last time did not build confidence.
“Any repetition of that kind of farce really will not cut the mustard.”
