Disarmament by IRA 'must not be squandered'

The North's politicians were today told by the Government not to squander the opportunity to restore devolved government if the IRA lived up to its promise to fully disarm and commit to peace.

Political Development Minister David Hanson said the opportunity of restoring devolution following action by the IRA must be grasped.

In his first key note address since taking over the political brief – and the first by any Northern Ireland minister since the IRA’s July statement – he urged the political parties to seize the opportunity to restore devolution.

“If the words in the IRA’s statement are borne out in actions, there will be a heavy responsibility on all politicians in Northern Ireland to ensure that the opportunity to establish stable and inclusive institutions is not squandered,” the minister stressed.

Trust was a key element to the political process, he told a province shocked by the latest loyalist violence as it waited for IRA disarmament.

As the countdown to expected action by the IRA continued, Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams had talks in Belfast with US president George Bush’s special Ireland envoy Mitchell Reiss.

Speaking in Belfast Mr Hanson said the clarity of the last IRA statement and its lack of conditions marked it out as different to statements they had previously made.

“It commits the IRA to peaceful means and to a complete cessation of all activities,” he said.

Mr Hanson, addressing delegates to the annual meeting of the Northern Ireland Government Affairs Group in Queen’s University, said IRA commitments would have to be independently verified and translated into action on the ground.

He said: “If these commitments are verified, then there is a real prospect of restoring the Assembly and the other institutions on a stable and inclusive basis.

“You have to trust in the political process. But we also must underpin the peace process by continuing to develop the values of a modern democracy,” he said.

The minister refused to commit to a time when the institutions could return, stressing trust between the political parties was an essential element of restoration.

The IRA’s statement held out the prospect that its activities were at an end, said Mr Hanson.

The Government entirely understood some would be cautions and would not accept the commitments at face value.

“The British and Irish Government have asked the Independent Monitoring Commission to provide an additional report in January on paramilitary activity, in addition to their regular report we expect to receive in October,” he said.

The reports would enable everyone to see what progress had been made on the ground – independent verification of decommissioning of all illegally held weapons remained an essential ingredient of rebuilding trust and confidence, added the minister.

There was an important role for the Government to play in bringing people together but the primary responsibility was on politicians to seize the opportunity and get devolution back on track.

“The opportunity must be grasped. Restoration on a fully inclusive basis remains the Government’s aim and we will do all we can to help achieve that,” said Mr Hanson.