Security tightened as IRA warns of crisis

[emad]

Henry McDonald, Ireland editor
Sunday February 6, 2005
The Observer

Security at ports and airports as well as military and police bases in Northern Ireland has been strengthened following IRA statements last week warning the British and Irish governments about a crisis in the peace process.

Special Branch officers have reappeared at entry points from Ireland into Britain in recent days. Anti-terrorist officers have contacted agents who worked for the security forces inside the IRA. The informers living in hiding have been warned to step up their personal security.

Surveillance of republican suspects on either side of the Irish border has also been intensified as London and Dublin try to determine if the IRA's implicit threat contained in the two statements will be backed up with force.

Last Thursday the IRA withdrew last December's offer to decommission vast amounts of arms as well as tonnes of Semtex explosive in order to boost a deal that would see Gerry Adams sitting down in government with Democratic Unionist leader the Reverend Ian Paisley.
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,1407049,00.html

[jmcgowanjm]

1. How many fronts can the UK maintain?

Blair said he didn't want to pursue power-sharing without
Sinn Fein but would have no choice but to do so if the IRA
didn't disarm and disband. "If it proves impossible to go
forward on that inclusive basis, we will have to look for
another way forward. It is as simple as that," he
said.

"We are at a point today where everybody, not just in
Northern Ireland but in the Republic of Ireland as well, is
making it quite clear they have had enough of political
parties allied to paramilitary activity and it has to stop," he
said.

http://www.smh.com.au/news/Breaking-News/Blair-to-confront-Sinn-Fein-over-robbery/2005/01/27/1106415701264.html?oneclick=true

How much blood and treasure have you got,
Blair?

You think Sinn Fein and the people of Ireland
are going to go backwards and let go of the
freedoms they've so hard fought won,
you're mad , you got another thing
coming.

How much blood and treasure have you got,
Blair?