IRA rules out any further concessions

The IRA tonight ruled out any further move on disarmament until the peace process deal agreed with David Trimble and the British and Irish governments was honoured fully.

In their third statement on the process in eight days, the Provisionals said they carried out the decommissioning of their “largest amount of arms to date” last week to boost the process.

But they accused Ulster Unionist leader Mr Trimble of failing to keep to his side of the deal and giving them no “credible explanation” as to why he did so.

The statement, issued under the IRA’s pen name of P O’Neill, said the putting of weapons beyond use was part of an agreed series of moves involving the Ulster Unionists, Sinn Féin, the decommissioning body and the British and Irish governments.

The IRA said: “The political process these initatives were designed to facilitate has been halted without a credible explanation from those who stopped it.

“The leadership of the IRA honoured our commitments. Others have not fulfilled theirs.

“This is totally unacceptable.

“When we give our word, we keep it. We expect others to do the same.

“Until they do so, there can be little prospect of progress on the issues they profess concern about.”

Last week’s peace process deal stumbled over the lack of specific detail about the IRA’s weapons move.

The head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, General John de Chastelain, reported that the IRA’s third disarmament act was larger than before.

But he was unable to provide specific information about the make of weapons involved or the current size of the IRA’s arsenal.

Mr Trimble put last Tuesday’s choreographed series of peace process moves on hold because he wanted more information.

He said today in the House of Commons that it was “essential” that republicans stuck “very clearly” over the coming weeks to their commitment to pursuing exclusively peaceful and democratic means.

Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy praised the statement from Gerry Adams, endorsed by the IRA, that the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement would result in the full and final closure of the conflict.

“The engagement of the IRA with the international commission on decommissioning was an important and significant development,” he told Mr Trimble.

“Where I know you are concerned is about the issue of transparency and indeed the issue of public confidence and I do hope that those issues will be addressed in the weeks ahead and that we move forward.”

But with Northern Ireland’s politicians now gearing up for an Assembly election, the IRA’s statement tonight appeared to rule out any prospect of political progress until after the November 26 poll is out of the way.