IRA committed to peace process, says commission

THE IRA is committed to peace, despite some of its leaders remaining deeply involved in crime, ceasefire watchdogs yesterday reported in a move which brought power sharing closer.

The International Monitoring Commission (IMC) stated some senior republicans were lining their pockets with the proceeds from smuggling and extortion, but the organisation had turned its back on violence and was trying to end law breaking.

The IMC’s tenth report was received positively in Dublin and London and gained a cautious welcome from DUP leader Ian Paisley.

“The policy of the united voice of the unionist people insisting that criminality must cease is taking effect and we welcome the effect it is taking,” he said.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said the findings would add impetus to the push to restore power sharing in the North.

“This report comes at a crucial time. It is a very encouraging boost to the process,” he said.

The IMC stuck by its previous findings that not all IRA weapons had been decommissioned, but insisted this was due to local IRA units holding onto guns in defiance of the leadership.

The report claimed the IRA had moved firmly away from paramilitary activity.

“The IRA leadership is working to bring the whole organisation fully along with it and has expended considerable effort to refocus the movement in support of its objective.

“In the last three months this process has involved the further dismantling of PIRA as a military structure.

“We have had no indications in the last three months of training, engineering activity, recent recruitment or targeting for the purposes of attack.

“There has now been a substantial erosion in the PIRA’s capacity to return to a military campaign without a significant period of build-up, which in any event we do not believe they have any intentions of doing.,” the report said.

The IMC indicated the IRA leadership may be readying to make the historic step of accepting civil policing in the North.

Martin McGuinness said it was up to unionists to show their commitment to the peace process.