IRA arms threat as Mitchell outlines deal
From DAILY TELEGRAPH November 19th, 1999
By David Graves in Belfast
GEORGE Mitchell outlined his blueprint for a political settlement in Northern
Ireland yesterday under which, on the same day, devolution would occur,
the power-sharing executive would meet and the IRA would appoint its go-between
on arms decommissioning. As the gloves came off in the Ulster Unionist Party
in a furious debate over whether to accept the proposed agreement, the former
American senator told Unionist hard-liners that the only guarantee was that
there would be no terrorist decommissioning of weapons if the deal was rejected.
While Unionists were prepared to debate the life and soul of the party in
public, there were doubts that Sinn Féin could "sell" the blueprint to the
republicans. Martin Ferris, a senior Sinn Féin negotiator and member of
the IRA's Army Council, alarmed Unionists by telling republicans in America
that he did not think the IRA would decommission. "The conflict is not over, nor is the struggle." Mr Mitchell returned to America last night after publishing
his final report on the 11-week review of the Good Friday Agreement, under
which Unionists and republicans have issued statements this week committing
themselves to devolution of power from Westminster and decommissioning arms.
While concluding that a basis existed for devolution and decommissioning
to occur as soon as possible, Mr Mitchell warned both sides that they would
not get all they wanted and "will endure severe political pain". "There is no other way forward," he added. "Prolonging the statement will leave this society uncertain and vulnerable. If this process succeeds, the real winners will be the people who want their political leaders to work out their differences through democratic dialogue." The Government is pushing
on with plans for the Northern Ireland Assembly to meet on Nov 29 or 30
to nominate a 10-strong executive, including two Sinn Fein ministers. When
it first meets, likely to be early next month, devolution would occur and
the IRA would nominate its go-between. David Trimble, UUP leader, has staked
his political future on the agreement, under which his party will have to
reverse its policy of "no guns, no government" that would bar Sinn Féin
from the executive without arms decommissioning first. At a meeting of the
27-strong UUP group on the Assembly at Stormont last night, Mr Trimble told
it that he intended to ask the senior officers of the party today to call
a special meeting of the governing 860-strong Ulster Unionist Council on
Nov 27. If the council rejects the deal, the agreement would be dead and
Mr Trimble would be expected to tender his resignation. His supporters claimed
last night that they would have a majority of "at least 60 per cent", but
dissidents claimed that they would win. A BBC Internet poll last night indicated
that 53 per cent thought the Unionists should reject the deal, while 47
per cent thought they should accept. However, anyone anywhere could vote.
The Unionist council is expected to come under intense pressure from the
Government, business leaders in Northern Ireland and the Protestant Church
to give Mr Trimble a mandate to sign the agreement. The Rt Rev Robin Eames,
primate of the Church of Ireland, said yesterday that the vast majority
of people wanted to give the proposed deal a chance to succeed, a view echoed
by the Northern Ireland Chamber of Commerce. Nevertheless, the debate was
expected to split the UUP. Five of the 10 UUP MPs at Westminster have issued
a statement rejecting the deal. Mr Donaldson, giving the Ian Gow Memorial
Lecture in London last night, said that the UUP had long held the view that
the decommissioning of illegal weapons first was essential to demonstrating
a clear commitment to using "exclusively peaceful and democratic" means.
"I do not believe that the statements issued by Sinn Féin/IRA have proven in themselves that such a commitment exists on the part of republicans,"
he said. In an article in The Daily Telegraph today, Peter Mandelson, the
Northern Ireland Secretary, accepted that the proposed deal might be a "bitter pill" for Unionists. |
