IRA Confirms New Disarmament Act

[Khephra]

BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Britain set an election date in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republican Army swiftly responded Tuesday by agreeing to get rid of more of its weapons.

In a day of carefully choreographed announcements, Prime Minister Tony Blair's office said the long-delayed elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly would be held Nov. 26. That could pave the way for restoration of a Catholic-Protestant administration for the British province.

An IRA statement that followed five hours later confirmed that the outlawed group had agreed with John de Chastelain, the retired Canadian general overseeing disarmament in Northern Ireland, to "decommission" more weaponry.

However, as in keeping with two previous IRA disarmament moves in October 2001 and April 2002, the IRA offered no detail on the volume of weaponry discarded, nor on its method of disposal. Protestant leaders complained that such secrecy would undermine Protestant support for reviving power-sharing.

more............

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-northern-ireland,0,3770573.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

[emad]

1. Each time there's an announcement of yet another 'ceasefire'

or weapons decommissioning or 'putting the arms beyond use', Blair ruffles up his cocksure profile and acts all statesmanlike...

This is usually followed by news of yet another IRA spy being outed a)in the Northern Ireland Assembly buildings b)Sinn Feinn offices c) UK House of Commons etc

I don't doubt he's ratcheting up the gears with his chums Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. Apart from Dumbo, they're the only chums he's got left...

[Bridget Burke]

2. Good for them.

At least there's a smidgen of a chance of a hope for the future.

And, this does annoy those who most deserve to be annoyed!

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. cockup on the decommissioning front

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/low/northern_ireland/3211988.stm

Unionist dismay over IRA arms
<snip>
However, Mr Trimble said "the clear transparency required had not been delivered".

"We had made it very clear to republicans and to the governments and to General de Chastelain what we needed was a clear, transparent report of major acts of decommissioning."

He said that would have had "a significant impact on public opinion and demonstrate that we were in a different context".

"Unfortunately we have not had that.
</snip>
They appear to be arguing about how much they should know about what was decommissioned.

[Maeve]

4. Nothing will do for the hard-line Unionists

But that the IRA disappear and all organized Catholic political power along with it.

Meanwhile, the militant Unionists remain armed.

edited to stave off arguments--I support the IRA's disarming and strongly support the Peace process; the idjits who continue the mayhem are wrong and should be rounded up legally. However, I do not trust that all parties are dealing either honestly or fairly (and I wouldn't trust Ian Paisley and his rabble out of my sight).

[SiobhanClancy]

5. Indeed...

The IRA is expected to make all concessions,while UDF et al are rarely even mentioned. Are people expected to believe that the government is not supporting the Unionist paramilitary groups,either directly or indirectly?