Paisley severs contact with Dublin in IRA row
Democratic Unionist leader Ian Paisley tonight severed contact with the Irish Government as the row over IRA disarmament deepened.
Mr Paisley’s move, after Taoiseach Bertie Ahern appeared to concede photographic evidence of weapons destruction was not possible, damaged attempts to strike a Northern Ireland peace deal.
The DUP chief, who will not sign up to any package without visual proof of decommissioning by the Provisionals, was livid with Mr Ahern’s remarks following talks with Sinn Féin’s Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.
He declared: “We have cut off from today, all connections with the southern government in talks.
“As far as we are concerned, he is a man that can’t be trusted.”
British and Irish officials will be dismayed by Mr Paisley’s decision, which comes amid frantic moves to stop the devolution plan nearly agreed last week from unravelling.
After a one-hour meeting with Sinn Féin leaders, Mr Ahern said it would be “insanity” at this stage not to find a way of settling all the issues.
“We were happy with (decommissioning chief) John de Chastelain,” he said.
“Then there was the issue of further witnesses, we were happy with that.
“We had the issue of photographs and that’s not workable so we have to try to find some other way.”
But Mr Paisley insisted the Taoiseach never before suggested photographing decommissioning was not possible during weeks of negotiations.
Until the Government explain the comments there will be no further discussions, the DUP leader vowed.
“From day one until now Mr Ahern never opposed photographs.
“Suddenly he meets two IRA/Sinn Féiners and he comes out and says ’it is not workable’.
“So, anything that the IRA says is not workable he will bow to.”
In a reference to the wife of murdered Garda Jerry McCabe, who is distraught at the prospect of his IRA killers’ being freed under the deal, the North Antrim MP added: “He double-crossed Mrs McCabe, he will not double-cross us. That’s the end of the matter.”
Earlier, Mr Ahern stressed that decommissioning was ready to happen but no progress would be made unless there was a comprehensive deal.
Both the British and Irish would have been satisfied with the deal as it was laid on the table to the DUP and Sinn Féin last week.
He said the issues regarding criminality and paramilitary activity were “not that much different” to those set out last October.
Hopes of reaching an agreement to revive the political institutions were shattered last week when the deal unravelled.
Mr Ahern said: “We were very close last Wednesday. There are one or two issues that have to be resolved and we believe it’s possible to resolve these.”
