IMC: IRA making 'encouraging' progress

The IRA is making encouraging progress in its transformation from a paramilitary group to a purely political movement, it was claimed today.

But a report from the four-member Independent Monitoring Commission said the Provisional IRA (PIRA) assaulted one of its own members since announcing an end to its armed campaign in July.

In its latest study of republican and loyalist paramilitary activity, the IMC said it could not reach a full judgment on whether the Provisionals were honouring a pledge on July 28 to focus solely on politics.

It said there had been changes in command structure and there was no evidence of the organisation recruiting or training members in the weeks following the statement.

The IMC said: “Initial signs following the the PIRA statement are encouraging but inevitably on this occasion the assessment we can make of the effect of the statement is rather limited.

“We will address it further in the additional Article Four report which the British and Irish Governments have asked us to present in January 2006 and again when we report in April 2006 and subsequently.”

The IMC is made up of ex-deputy director of CIA Richard Kerr, former deputy assistant commissioner of the Metropolitan Police John Grieve, retired Irish civil servant Joe Brosnan and former Northern Ireland Assembly Speaker Lord Alderdice.

Its latest report, covering loyalist and republican paramilitary activity between March 1 and August 31, focused on the five months leading to the IRA’s announcement and the month following it.

The commissioners found in the period before the statement, the Provisionals continued to recruit and brief new and existing members on personal security and counter-surveillance.

It also trained members in those five months, including in the use of weapons.

The IMC said: “We have no evidence of training or recruitment after the July 28 statement.

“There are indications that the organisation’s intelligence function remained active, though its focus may be becoming more political.

“There has also been some identifying of drug dealers, though it is not clear for what purpose.”

The IMC said the Provisionals were responsible for one so-called punishment shooting and 10 assaults during the period covered by the report.

The report confirmed: “It undertook one shooting attack, in early July, of a person whom it had assaulted in March, and 10 assaults – nine of them between mid-March and mid-June – and one in early August after the statement.

“The victim on this last occasion was a PIRA member; we do not know the reason for the assault although it could reflect a concern in the organisation to curtail either unacceptable activities or support for dissident republicans.”

The commission welcomed the completion of IRA disarmament three weeks ago and said it expected the organisation to end all involvement in criminality as a result of its July 28 statement.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will draw comfort from the IMC’s observation that the Provisionals are making encouraging progress towards implementing its July 28 statement.

They are likely to place greater emphasis on the next IMC report in January which will have a longer time to assess IRA actions.

If that report shows the organisation is ending paramilitary and criminal activity, the governments will use it as a launch pad for talks aimed at enticing the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists into a devolved government in Northern Ireland with Sinn Féin.

The commission said there was evidence over the period that the Provisionals had been involved in extortion and had intimidated people involved in anti-social behaviour as well as dissident republicans.

It was impossible to say whether these had been authorised by the IRA’s leadership.

The report said the Provisionals tried to ensure the summer marching season passed off peacefully and had tried to prevent rioting.

But preparations were made for weapons to be made available should loyalists have attacked nationalist areas.

The IMC raised concerns about the IRA’s approach to the exiling of individuals from communities.

One family was forced from its home in May and there was another attempt to expel another family in June.

In the Short Strand area of east Belfast, people exiled by the organisation were allowed to return – although this could have been in response to the controversial murder of local man Robert McCartney in January.

The IMC said: “We have no evidence at this stage that PIRA is generally allowing those it has exiled to return to Northern Ireland safely, should they wish to do so.

“The statement of July 28 makes no specific reference to exiling but those whom PIRA has exiled and who want to return should be free to do so safely.

“We will be monitoring this issue in future.”