IRA accused of 'threat' in second statement
Northern Ireland’s peace process was plunged further into crisis tonight after the IRA accused Irish and British ministers of making a mess of efforts to restore devolution in a fresh statement.
Just 24 hours after an IRA statement withdrew its last disarmament offer, the organisation warned London and Dublin not to underestimate the seriousness of the current situation.
An IRA source said: “The two governments are trying to play down the importance of our statement because they are making a mess of the peace process. Do not underestimate the seriousness of the situation.”
While republicans would not elaborate further on the IRA’s words, they were bound to cause concern in Belfast, London and Dublin, resurrecting the spectre of a return to violence.
Democratic Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson urged people to remain calm but accused the IRA of behaving childishly.
“None of this changes the fact that there must be an end to all criminal and paramilitary activity by the IRA,” the Lagan Valley MP said.
Police claims that the IRA carried out the £26.5m (€37.8m) Northern Bank robbery in Belfast in December have effectively shattered any hopes that a deal to restore power-sharing can be restored in Northern Ireland.
The IRA has consistently denied the claims by Chief Constable Hugh Orde and Government ministers in London and Dublin who said it was responsible for the record bank heist.
And in a statement last night the organisation warned that it would resist any attempt to tar it with allegations of criminality.
The IRA hit out at the “unacceptable and unstable situation” that arose after the Northern Bank robbery.
It also warned: “It has tried our patience to the limit.”
The IRA statement, however, was dismissed by political opponents on both sides of the border.
Democratic Unionist Assembly member Ian Paisley jnr portrayed it as a temper tantrum akin to a baby throwing its toys out of a pram.
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte also accused the Provisionals of belligerence.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern played down concerns about the statement while British government sources also insisted that continued paramilitary and criminal activity by the IRA remained an obstacle to political progress.
Finance Minister Brian Cowen said tonight the Government was fully aware of the seriousness of the current state of the peace process in the wake of the second IRA statement.
“The seriousness of the situation is that we’re engaged in a process whereby a transition is supposed to be taking place whereby militant republicanism and other paramilitaries clear the pitch to enable democratic and peaceful political progress in this island,” he said.
“I think they need to recognise, all of them, that the prospects for peaceful reconciliation and for a full implementation of this agreement, which is the basis upon which they’ve decided to clear the pitch, has now been reached and they should so do.”
Mr Cowen said he did not know what the suggestion in the latest statement that the seriousness of the situation was being underestimated meant.
“The signatories to these statements aren’t amenable to any sort of democratic accountability so I don’t make comments particularly on what Provisional IRA statements have to say,” he said.
“What I’m saying is, as a minister of the government, is on behalf of the people, the essence of republicanism is to agree with the will of the people.
“The will of the people has spoken, there is no role for paramilitarism in a modern Ireland and a peaceful Ireland.”
Enda Kenny, the leader of Fine Gael, described the latest IRA statement as tantamount to a threat against the Irish people and state.
“Such threats have no place in any process of negotiations,” he said.
“The democratic political parties must stand firm in the face of this attempted intimidation.”
Mr Pat Rabbitte called the statement a sinister development and said it contained an implied threat to democratically elected governments and to the people of these islands.
“The comment I made in the Dáil this morning, that democrats should stand firm in the face of IRA belligerence, is all the more relevant in the light of this latest statement,” he added.
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