Political Crossfire Forums

[Jehan]

LONDON, Sept. 25 -- The Irish Republican Army has scrapped its vast arsenal of guns and explosives in a landmark step toward ending more than three decades of political and religious violence in Northern Ireland, according to a source close to the independent weapons inspection commission that witnessed the disarmament process.

The weapons inspectors will report their findings Monday to the British and Irish governments, said the official, who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The disarmament, which the IRA promised in a statement in July, was also confirmed by Martin McGuinness, a senior member of Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing.

"The IRA's decision on July 28th to formally end its armed campaign has changed the political landscape in Ireland forever," McGuinness said in a statement issued Sunday night. "I am confident that tomorrow will bring the final chapter on the issue of IRA arms. I believe that Ireland stands on the cusp of a truly historic advance, and I hope that people across the island will respond positively in the time ahead."

The disarmament announcement, scheduled to be made at a news conference Monday given by John de Chastelain, the retired Canadian general who heads the weapons inspection commission, would be a historic breakthrough in the conflict between majority Protestants and minority Catholics that has killed more than 3,600 people since 1969. The British and Irish governments hailed as momentous the IRA's July announcement that it would disarm, but any such announcement is unlikely to completely convince the province's majority Protestant community that peace is at hand.

The disarmament, which officials said took place at secret locations in the Republic of Ireland, was also witnessed by two members of the clergy: the Rev. Harold Good, a former president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, and the Rev. Alex Reid, a Catholic priest. They are also expected to make a public statement Monday.

The Protestant side has cited the IRA's failure to disarm as the main obstacle to full implementation of the landmark 1998 Good Friday peace accords. British and Irish government officials hope that this step will enable a power-sharing government to be reestablished in Belfast, the Northern Ireland capital.

Protestant leaders, particularly the Rev. Ian Paisley of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), have expressed deep skepticism about the IRA's intentions. They have also harshly criticized British Prime Minister Tony Blair for responding to the IRA's promise to disarm by dismantling some British military posts in the province and ordering sharp cuts in troop strength.

"It would be naive to take the IRA at its word," Ian Paisley Jr., a top official of the party headed by his father, said in a recent interview. The DUP has distanced itself from negotiations to implement the Good Friday accords, which outlined a power-sharing plan for the troubled province. Paisley said that no matter how many weapons the IRA gave up, it could still have more hidden or stored.

McGuinness, in his statement, said Monday's announcement was "about more than arms."

"It is about the reviving the peace process, it is about the future of Ireland," he said. "And this places an enormous responsibility on the British and Irish governments to finally implement the Good Friday agreement in all its aspects on issues like equality, human rights, policing, demilitarization and northern representation. It will also place a huge responsibility on the leadership of the DUP to reengage in the political process."

On Saturday, Sinn Fein's president, Gerry Adams, told thousands of supporters in Dublin, the Irish capital, that IRA disarmament would have "a huge impact" on peace efforts.

A senior Democratic Unionist, Jeffrey Donaldson, said the IRA's apparent refusal to provide photos or to use a Protestant minister nominated by his party as a witness meant that many Protestants would not fully believe the IRA moves, the Associated Press reported.

"I don't think we're going to get that level of transparency tomorrow, and I think that's most unfortunate," Donaldson said.

The IRA, which draws its support from among the province's Catholic minority, has waged a determined war of bombings and attacks, including in London and other British cities, in an attempt to rid Northern Ireland of British rule. Protestant loyalists, who support British rule, also formed paramilitary groups that have fought against the IRA. Many in Northern Ireland fear that extremist splinter groups on both sides will continue the violence and hinder the peace process.

Although Northern Ireland has become less violent in recent years, the IRA has been embroiled in controversies over a bank robbery and other criminal activity by its members. The killing earlier this year of Robert McCartney, a Catholic supporter of Sinn Fein, caused international uproar when his family broke the traditional code of silence and complained publicly about IRA thuggery.

In recent months, Belfast has been racked by spasms of violence in the Protestant community, where many people complain bitterly that they have been abandoned by the British government. At least five people have been killed in the past two months in battles between Protestant paramilitary groups. At least two more officers were injured this weekend.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/25/AR2005092500537.html?nav=rss_email/components

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I'm quite sure this is good news. Hopefully all the bloodshed caused by the IRA will end. We can only hope.

[ToonArmyIsComing]

About time, they have been promising to disarm for so long!

[thefranzkafkafront]

Bloody terrorists, oh sorry freedom fighters to you americans.

[Windy]

Sadly this doesn't really matter, the unionists don't believe them and Northern Ireland continues to be the most racist place in the western world.

[Lord Hargreaves]

What next: Hamas promises to stop attacking Jews and you believe them too? oh wait....................

You believe the IRA? How naive is that?!?!?

[Windy]

Lord Hargreaves wrote: What next: Hamas promises to stop attacking Jews and you believe them too? oh wait....................

You believe the IRA? How naive is that?!?!?


All the people that still want to commit violence has left and joined one of the many other groups still killing people.
The fact is at this stage having weapons does the Sinn Fein more harm than good, they can see that violence is getting them no where, to disarm however and fully commit to peaceful means when all others are still killing people however...

Also it doesn't hurt when they can buy more weapons whenever they like doesn't harm them.

[ToonArmyIsComing]

Lord Hargreaves wrote: What next: Hamas promises to stop attacking Jews and you believe them too? oh wait....................

You believe the IRA? How naive is that?!?!?

I love how the likes of Hargreaves tie everything with something in the Middle Eastern conflicts. :roll:

[JDnCoke]

Maybe if Paisley and his rotten ilk didn't provoke the otherside so much. The Orange Order doesn't exactly deserve a medal either, from what I can see, the IRA are the only son of a b**** out of the lot who're doing something.

[maxtsu]

It means nothing if the IRA say the decommission or not.
In this new Europe with the collapsed Soviet Union. It is easy to get hold of arms, explosives. Have a chat with some ex-CIA, and I am sure you will get hold of some Stinger missiles.
It is symbolism only, whether you believe them or not does not matter. Any terrorist organization in Europe can re-arm quite quickly.

So when Paisly and the DUP say the want better evidence of decommissioning. What a load of horse-crap.
Having photos means nothing.
This is only the Unionists posturing. Because any implementation of Good Friday is bad news for Unionist. Anyway forward to a power sharing Storemont means less power for the Unionist.

The Unionists were always traditionally the people in charge in NI. Thus their bigoted politics and views. Power sharing is not in their interest.
Thus this charade about insisting on photographs.
It is meaningless.

[bury]

I doubt they've completely disarmed but they have destroyed a lot of weapons and the point of all is that now they've said they don't have any guns they can't use any.

But I bet the sly buggers have a secret stash somewhere.

[Ssushi]

Does anyone else find it strange that these two chaps (no disrespect to either of them) as the people to confirm that the IRA have disarmed?



Sorry but my faith in them to determine whether or not a military group has disarmed is low... Or maybe I'm wrong and we should have sent them to North Korea instead of Hans Blix :roll:

[Chymical]

ToonArmyIsComing wrote: Lord Hargreaves wrote: What next: Hamas promises to stop attacking Jews and you believe them too? oh wait....................

You believe the IRA? How naive is that?!?!?

I love how the likes of Hargreaves tie everything with something in the Middle Eastern conflicts. :roll:

yeah nothing like raking in a couple more hot potatoes to widen the scattershot...

Hamas promises to stop attacking Jews and you believe them to? USA agree's to stop attacking oil-rich nations and you believe them?

You believe the Government? How naive is that?

[JDnCoke]

Chymical wrote: yeah nothing like raking in a couple more hot potatoes to widen the scattershot...

Hamas promises to stop attacking Jews and you believe them to? USA agree's to stop attacking oil-rich nations and you believe them?

You believe the Government? How naive is that?

Don't mind HG, he's going through his "<3 Tony Blair" phase, happens to all electorally disillusioned conservatives.

[Snow Patrol]

It might possibly well be mere superficial posing by Sinn Fein and the IRA, i certainly don't believe that all their weapons are beyond use and new weapons would be easy to enough to acquire anyway. However the Loyalists have done nothing but deamonise this step by the IRA, yet they themselves have constituted almost nothing at all in the way of progress. It's loyalists in the middle of shooting each others knee caps off at the moment, it was loyalists rioting and throwing petrol bombs at the police recently, it's Ian Paisley who has been the main block to progress for years. So where exactly is their superficial posing?

[The_Right_Honourable]

I believe that the majority of IRA arms have been put beyond use. I watched the press conference and you could see on Gen. de Chastellan's face that the amount destroyed was huge.

But the IRA's main weapon has been terror and so to re-arm with bombs would be easy. They can make them themselves! I think the Unionists just dont care, nothing would satisfy them.

I hate that we should have to pander to these criminals. If i could put a bullet through each and everyones head id do it.

[irish_lou]

maxtsu wrote:
The Unionists were always traditionally the people in charge in NI. Thus their bigoted politics and views. Power sharing is not in their interest.
Thus this charade about insisting on photographs.
It is meaningless.

Exactly. The Unionists will never be happy. They will never compromise.

If you want an organisation like the IRA to do what they did, you have to agree to most of their terms. Photos of the destruction of the weapons would be viewed as an embarrassment to the Republicans and the volunteers, themselves. It is not to be seen as a surrender, but as a change in view.

I know that, no matter how large the amount of arms were destroyed, if the circumstances arise the IRA could easily re-arm. Explosives were homemade. Guns easily shipped in.

I wonder, will the UVF ever dis-arm? And, will photo's be shown of their arms?