Trying to picture peace – ISN
December 8th, 2004
DERRY – The latest attempts to forge a breakthrough in Northern Ireland’s peace process appear to have failed this morning, with the verification of IRA disarmament the remaining stumbling block.
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, Reverend Ian Paisley, said while “we’ve never been closer to a settlement”, the IRA must “surrender”. However, it appears that the IRA will not consent to giving photographic evidence that their weapons have been destroyed – a key DUP demand.
Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams, whose party is regarded as the IRA’s political wing, said last night the IRA would not “submit to humiliation” by giving photographic evidence of disarmament. Paisley’s comments to a party gathering in Ballymena on 26 November, stating that the IRA “must wear sackcloth and ashes” in repentance for its campaign of violence, have apparently mitigated against the possibility of the IRA allowing photographs to be taken of weapons decommissioning.
Sources say IRA grassroots and Sinn Féin supporters fear that the DUP will use photographs as propaganda in the impending UK general election, likely to take place next May. There remains the possibility that verification could be given by two clergymen, one Catholic and one Protestant, who would witness decommissioning taking place. Irish and UK government proposals aimed at restoring Northern Ireland’s devolved institutions of government were presented to all parties, including the DUP and Sinn Féin, less than two weeks ago.
Since then, an intensive series of negotiations involving both governments and all Northern Ireland parties have taken place, with a view to reaching a deal based on the proposals. The governments intend to publish the terms offered to the parties today, with both British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern due in Belfast. The deadline was intended as a veiled threat to the DUP and Sinn Féin to accept the proposals, or face the scrutiny of their voters and the rival nationalist and unionist parties, in the event of a collapse of the current process.
Speaking to the Dáil (Irish parliament) in Dublin last night, Ahern said that another opportunity to restore Northern Ireland’s institutions would not arise for some time.
Devolution was a core aspect of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement that ostensibly ended 30 years of civil conflict in Northern Ireland. Comprising an elected Assembly and an Executive with limited powers, the institutions were suspended in October 2002 amid allegations of IRA intelligence gathering and espionage.
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