WP,pg1: IRA Disarms, Fulfilling Vow Made in July, Official Says

[DeepModem Mom]

IRA Disarms, Fulfilling Vow Made in July, Official Says
By Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, September 26, 2005; Page A01


LONDON, Sept. 25 -- The Irish Republican Army has scrapped its vast arsenal of guns and explosives in a landmark step toward ending more than three decades of political and religious violence in Northern Ireland, according to a source close to the independent weapons inspection commission that witnessed the disarmament process.

The weapons inspectors will report their findings Monday to the British and Irish governments, said the official, who insisted on anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. The disarmament, which the IRA promised in a statement in July, was also confirmed by Martin McGuinness, a senior member of Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing.

"The IRA's decision on July 28th to formally end its armed campaign has changed the political landscape in Ireland forever," McGuinness said in a statement issued Sunday night. "I am confident that tomorrow will bring the final chapter on the issue of IRA arms. I believe that Ireland stands on the cusp of a truly historic advance, and I hope that people across the island will respond positively in the time ahead."

The disarmament announcement, scheduled to be made at a news conference Monday given by John de Chastelain, the retired Canadian general who heads the weapons inspection commission, would be a historic breakthrough in the conflict between majority Protestants and minority Catholics that has killed more than 3,600 people since 1969. The British and Irish governments hailed as momentous the IRA's July announcement that it would disarm, but any such announcement is unlikely to completely convince the province's majority Protestant community that peace is at hand.

The disarmament, which officials said took place at secret locations in the Republic of Ireland, was also witnessed by two members of the clergy: the Rev. Harold Good, a former president of the Methodist Church in Ireland, and the Rev. Alex Reid, a Catholic priest. They are also expected to make a public statement Monday....


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/25/AR2005092500537.html

[two gun sid]

1. McGuinness is due to visit the US this week...

and I would guess that de Chastelain will make an announcement to coincide with McGuinness speaking to his US supporters.

I hope this will help all the people of Ireland move forward and over come their differences. Everyone has suffered. Mostly the children of The Six Counties.

I want to see peace between all the Irish People. Now we need the Unionist paramilitaries to lay down their weapons and get involved politically with The Peace Process.

Let the DUP and Sinn Fein sit down together and bargain in good faith. The hardmen should no longer drive the political discourse.

[willing dwarf]

2. Disarmament isn't the same as Peace

I can't help thinking that it's going to take a long long time for trust to develop. How can it when the Orange men go marching every year with their idiotic drums and flutes?

Peace will require people working together for common goals. THe one goal they all share in Ireland these days is prosperity. So to me, the whole peace deal is really a big sell out. Not because the IRA is giving up its weapons, but because they are all choosing the "global economy" over local control and local interests.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. I agree. And that's the way it is. Public agreements are one thing,

sincere trust is another, as you have said. And I still believe that this is a long way off, unfortunately.:-(

Welcome to DU, willing dwarf! It's great to have you with us!:toast:

Here's more on this. I am hopeful, since this sounds like real progress, but I've followed this for a lot of years and can't help being skeptical. And I am on the side of the peacemakers who cannot, for obvious reasons, be British.:-(

2.30pm update

IRA arms decommissioned

Staff and agencies
Monday September 26, 2005

The IRA's remaining weapons have been decommissioned, bringing an end to the organisation's military struggle against the British in Northern Ireland, the decommissioning watchdog confirmed today.
"The decommissioning of the arms of the IRA is now an accomplished fact," said John de Chastelain, the retired Canadian general who has been responsible for overseeing the decommissioning process since 1997.

"The arms involved included the full range of ammunition, rifles, machine guns, mortars, handguns, explosives, explosive substances and other arms," he said.

He presented a confidential report on his weapons inspections to the British and Irish governments this morning following several months of decommissioning actions in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Northern_Ireland/Story/0,2763,1578667,00.html

[lcordero2]

3. They set themselves up to get screwed royally

[Maeve]

4. ht IRA 'has destroyed all its arms'

The IRA has put all of its weapons beyond use, the head of the arms decommissioning body has said.

General John de Chastelain made the announcement at a news conference accompanied by the two churchmen who witnessed the process.

"We are satisfied that the arms decommissioned represent the totality of the IRA's arsenal."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/4283444.stm

[Scurrilous]

7. Good news...

...:thumbsup:

[emad]

6. But the ££££££££££millions it laundered with Poodle's help into

property and assets, that's still in the hands of murdering bastards who have re-invented themselves as a direct result of Margaret Thatcher's collusion with Robert Maxwell RIP and today's Labor Party.

[Bridget Burke]

8. Yes, Margaret Thatcher was a well-known IRA sympathizer!

Who the heck was Robert Maxwell?

[emad]

9. ROBERT MAXWELL WAS A MOSSAD SPY. See:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/allnews/page.cfm?objectid=12419168&method=full&siteid=50143

[Maeve]

10. Corrupt businessman, arch-rival of Murdoch

Fairly balanced view here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Maxwell

[Bridget Burke]

11. Thanks for a BALANCED view....

The unbalanced views are a bit too common...