Ahern hails IRA's removal of gun from Irish politics
The act of decommissioning by the IRA has finally taken the gun out of Irish politics, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said today.
He said he trusted the verdict of General John de Chastelain, when he said that the paramilitary organisation had completely disarmed.
“The fact is we’ve reached that. The gun, or the IRA, is out of Irish politics.”
Mr Ahern, flanked by Justice Minister Michael McDowell and Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern at Government Buildings in Dublin, spoke of his relief at the move after more than 10 years of involvement in the Northern Ireland peace process.
“The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) statement that the IRA has met its commitments to put all its arms beyond use is of enormous consequence,” he said.
“It’s a landmark development, it’s of real historic significance, the weapons of the IRA have gone and they’re gone in a manner which has been witnessed and verified.
“Many believed that this day would never come, many would say that this should have happened a long time ago but it has now come about.”
He said he was conscious of the hurt suffered by the victims of the Northern Ireland conflict.
“Many people have suffered at the hands of these (IRA) weapons, the suffering should never have happened,” he said.
“If today’s developments mean anything, they mean that no future generations would suffer this pain and loss.
He also referred to those who had fought with the IRA.
“I also understand there have been loyal volunteers of the IRA, even though I totally and absolutely disagree with them, who feel that today is a hugely historic day that they didn’t really want to have to do.
"But today has happened, it had to happen and we should move on to the next phase.”
Mr Ahern said that meant getting the Northern Ireland assembly and the North-South bodies up and running again and building up the police and other state institutions.
“It might not be possible to do it in the next few weeks but in the months ahead,” he said.
Mr Ahern added that the issue of IRA decommissioning would no longer prevent his party going into Government with Sinn Féin.
“But there are other political differences. How could I as Taoiseach, or how could anyone, be going off to the European Council with people who didn’t believe in the whole project?”
Justice Minister Michael McDowell said he would be examining the forthcoming report of the Independent Monitoring Commission for any signs of criminal activity by the IRA but added he was satisfied with the IICD’s verdict about all IRA arms being put beyond use.
“I’m willing to take that as a working assumption until someone proves otherwise,” he said.
Irish President Mary McAleese said today’s IICD statement will remove a major obstacle to the search for a lasting and peaceful solution to the problems which have beset Northern Ireland for so long.
She said: “I hope that these developments will help to bring about a better climate in which trust between the two communities in Northern Ireland can flourish in the years ahead and that it will herald a speedy end to all ongoing paramilitary activity.
The announcement of IRA decommissioning by the IICD was also welcomed by all the major political parties.
Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said it fulfilled the wish expressed by Irish people, North and South, when they endorsed the Good Friday Agreement in 1998.
“I hope that the completion of IRA decommissioning will be matched in the future by the loyalist paramilitary organisations and I urge these groups to re-establish contact with General de Chastelain and his colleagues.”
Labour Party leader Pat Rabbitte said the decommissioning of the IRA arsenal was a welcome, if long overdue, development.
“Republicans must now follow the example of all other democratic parties North and South and commit themselves to creating a fully lawful society in Northern Ireland; one where respect for the rule of law is dominant and where all criminal activity is at an end,” he said.
“The best way of achieving this is to give their support to the PSNI and involve themselves fully in policing structures.”
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said decommissioning was an important milestone on the road to the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement but still only a critical staging post in the overall peace process.
“Three important elements still need completion before the Good Friday Agreement can be implemented in full. These are loyalist decommissioning; Sinn Féin signing up to the Policing Board; and unionists coming into Government,” he said.
The Church of Ireland archbishop of Dublin Dr John Neill said the decommissioning marked a step forward towards peace-building on the island.
“Now there must be established a culture that both rejects violence and also refuses to glorify it in any manner. This is a pre-requisite for the healing of bitter memories,” he said.
SIPTU president Jack O’Connor said it was a historic day which offered the chance of a permanent resolution to the conflict between the communities on this island.
“We look forward to the development of normal, progressive politics on this island, which will unquestionably serve to advance the interests of working people and their families, North and South,” he said.
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