Bush welcomes IRA moves on decommissioning

US President George W Bush has warmly welcomed the IRA move on arms.

Speaking from the White House, he said: "This brings the people of Northern Ireland measurably closer to the lasting peace they richly deserve".

US Ambassador to the North, Richard Haas, says he hopes the responses on all sides will now be positive also.

The IRA has amassed a huge arsenal of weapons in secret bunkers scattered throughout Ireland.

Here is an estimated stockpile of the arms which the IRA has at its disposal:

:: 650 AK47/AKM assault rifles;

:: 36 Armalite AR-15 assault rifles;

:: 2 Barret M82A1 sniper rifles;

:: 60 Webley .455 revolvers;

:: 20 12.7 x 107mm DshK heavy machine guns;

:: 12 7.62mm FN MAG machine guns;

:: 6 LPO-50 flamethrowers;

:: 40 RPG-7 rocket launchers;

:: 1 SAM-7 surface-to-air missile;

:: 600 bomb detonators;

:: 3 tons of Semtex plastic explosives