Arms issue 'essential' to peace process breakthrough
Proposals aimed at unblocking the logjam in the peace process were today dismissed as ‘‘incomplete’’ without an IRA move on weapons.
As the Irish and British governments awaited a response to their blueprint today, Ulster Unionist Chris McGimpsey said action from republicans was now essential.
With less than a week left to get the devolved regime at Stormont back on course, neither Mr McGimpsey nor Sinn Fein would say when they would give the governments their definitive answer to the document presented last week.
Sinn Fein Assembly Member Conor Murphy, said: ‘‘I don’t think, given the attitude of most of the parties, that in the middle of negotiations people consider anything to take-it-or-leave-it positions.
‘‘When detail is produced there is always, obviously, an opportunity to explore that detail and find out what both governments have in mind.
‘‘So I hope we will be in a position to give a more detailed response today but that depends on the amount of information forthcoming from the Government.’’
However Mr McGimpsey, who is a minister in the power-sharing Executive at Stormont, said the process hinged on whether the IRA was prepared to give up its guns.
He also listed other doubts about the proposals, including an amnesty for fugitive IRA members - which he claimed breached the Agreement - and the reopening of the policing debate.
But he said: ‘‘I’m not clear whether both governments thought they were on a promise or not in terms of decommissioning.
‘‘But this exercise is about decommissioning. These other areas have gone forward, these other areas have been visited before.
‘‘This is about republicans breaking their word, breaking the promises they made to everybody on May 6 last year.’’
He added later: ‘‘I think that as far as republicans are concerned, few people take them at face value, few people take their word.
‘‘What we are all looking for now is actions: actions speak louder than words and we have seen absolutely nothing from republicans.’’
Ulster Unionist members are to discuss the document at a meeting in party headquarters tonight and the views of the Assembly party and MPs will be canvassed tomorrow.
There are doubts, too, over whether the other pro-Agreement parties including John Hume’s Social Democratic and Labour Party will give their answer today.
Mr Trimble prompted the latest crisis by resigning as Northern Ireland First Minister at the end of June because the IRA was not disarming.
The move set off a six-week countdown for the position to be filled or trigger Assembly election or the more likely option of a second suspension of the entire devolved regime.
Unionists have complained that the latest proposals concede too much ground to republicans, but Mr Murphy rejected those suggestions.
He said: ‘‘I don’t see that any of these issues are concessions. To get a proper policing service which has the support of all the community I don’t think is a concession to anyone, I think that’s a right.
‘‘Clearly a demilitarised society is not a concession to anyone. I think that is something people are entitled to.’’
