McDowell: IRA must decommission and end all activity

Minister for Justice Michael McDowell has repeated his stance that the IRA must end criminality and paramilitarism and decommission all its weapons.

The republican paramilitary group is expected to issue a much-anticipated statement about its future intentions this week.

The organisation has been debating the issue since Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams called on it earlier this year to declare an end to armed struggle and commit to peaceful means.

Asked about the issue this morning, Mr McDowell said: "There has to be an end to all violence, there has to be an end to all crime, there has to be an end to all paramilitarism and there has to be a complete and total ending of the situation whereby the IRA have access to arms, and that means decommissioning of a verifiable kind."