Peace teeters on IRA 'humiliation attempt'

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will today reveal in Belfast the deal they have been working on to revive power sharing in Northern Ireland.

But as the two prepared to release the plan they put to Democratic Unionist leader Ian Paisley and Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams, a row over how the IRA should disarm looked like derailing it.

The Democratic Unionists have been pressing for photographic evidence of the completion of IRA disarmament.

But Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams, whose party has approved the political aspects of the governments’ package, last night appeared to flatly reject the idea of photographs.

The West Belfast MP said: “I recognise that some unionists do have genuine concerns about verification of arms being put beyond use, but Ian Paisley has to recognise also that the IRA will not submit to a process of humiliation.

“I do not expect Ian Paisley or the DUP or the unionist paramilitaries to submit to such a process of humiliation.”

The IRA last night confirmed in a brief, one-line statement that it has been in talks with Canadian General John de Chastelain and his American colleague Andrew Sens, of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD).

However ther was no detail of what was discussed.

“The IRA leadership confirms that our representative has been in contact with and has met with the IICD,” it said.

It is believed that republicans were prepared to have Protestant and Catholic clergy join General de Chastelain to witness the putting of IRA weapons beyond use.

But they viewed a photograph a step too far, saying that the attempt to make the IRA don sackcloth and ashes was an attempt to humiliate them. This, the IRA said, is unacceptable in the context of recent comments from Mr Paisley.

There were fears today that in the event of Sinn Féin and the DUP failing to reach a comprehensive settlement, the IRA would withdraw its contribution to the deal.

Sinn Féin has also argued that the DUP is risking losing the greatest prize ever achieved by a unionist party – the end of violent republicanism – by insisting on photographs.

The DUP, however, was adamant last night that visible decommissioning was an essential part of the two governments’ proposals, and said that Sinn Féin could not adopt an á la carte approach.

“It is not realistic for Sinn Féin to expect to choose a starter and a pudding and leave out the main course,” a spokesman said.

“They must clarify their position on whether they accept the comprehensive agreement in all its parts or not. There can be no smoke and mirrors this time.”

Having spent so much time on the peace process since the Good Friday Agreement in 1998, Ahern and Blair will not want to walk away from what has been achieved in recent negotiations involving Sinn Féin and the DUP.

A comprehensive lasting settlement appears to have just eluded them over the simple issue of a photograph.

A gloomy Mr Ahern told the Dáil yesterday: “There is one major difficulty and I don’t see the resolution in that, quite frankly.

“Both parties have a strong, determined view of how they see that, and it has concerned me for some weeks about how this issue can be resolved.”

If a deal cannot be struck, Dublin and London will be anxious to bank what progress has been made on issues like power-sharing, policing and justice, equality and human rights, disarmament and the future of the IRA.

Republicans today urged the governments to move quickly to press ahead with commitments during the negotiations, such as plans to scale down troop levels and British army bases in Northern Ireland and a beefed up Human Rights Commission.

But with the British government preparing for a general election next year, plus the presidencies of the European Union and G8, it is believed that Mr Blair will not be able to invest the same amount of time he once did.

Gerry Adams last night had a telephone conversation with Mr Ahern and was expected to talk to Mr Blair before the two leaders’ visit.