Historic start to taking gun out of politics
From NEWS LETTER June 27th, 2000
THE inspection of IRA arms dumps is not an end to the decommissioning process
- it is more of a beginning. But it is much more than a gimmick, as the
cynics claim. It is unprecedented in the history of militant Irish republicanism,
and it has been achieved in the face of intransigent opposition among hardened
traditionalists in that movement. It is not so long ago that a range of
commentators, including some known to be close to the thinking of militant
republicans, were predicting that the wrangle over weapons would end in
tears. The IRA never had, and never would, put its weapons 'beyond use',
whether to save the peace process or for any other reason, they concluded.
But unless international inspectors Cyril Ramaphosa and Martti Ahtisaari
are guilty of a deplorable con, that is exactly what the Provisionals have
now done through an exercise which ensures that the weapons cannot be used
again without detection, while providing for regular re-inspection. It would,
of course, be better if the IRA openly disposed of its weaponry in a way
that really does inspire maximum confidence. It would be better, too, if
the inspectors were able to explain the methodology involved in the process
of rendering the weapons redundant, and ensuring that they are out of harm's
way. The veil of secrecy drawn over the process was necessary for logistical
reasons, but it leaves room for doubt and suspicion, neither of which is
in short supply. But the significance of this development should not be
underestimated, and its impact is of such import that all people of good
faith should be willing, for now, to bestow upon it the benefit of the doubt.
As a confidence-building measure, the inspections alone fall some way short
of what many people envisaged, but as a first tentative step on what was
always bound to be a difficult and troublesome journey, it is both historic
and ground-breaking. If there is one person who can take credit for bringing
the Provisional IRA to this defining point, it is UUP leader David Trimble,
who had the courage to lay his own leadership on the line in presenting
the IRA with a considerable challenge. His handling of what at times appeared
to be a hopeless situation has been both shrewd and assured, and what he
has achieved through diplomatic tenacity will make a considerable contribution
to the search for a lasting peace. During negotiations, he made it absolutely
clear that republicans had no long-term future in government in the absence
of movement on decommissioning, and that this was an issue on which he was
not prepared to back down. Thus he achieved what those who attack him and
his strategies could never have accomplished. One of the greatest ironies
of the decommissioning debate is that those who demand it most are the very
same people who object most vociferously when genuine progress is made.
One can only conclude that the last thing they really want to see is the
destruction of IRA weaponry. What else would they have to complain about,
and what new weapon could be found with which to attack David Trimble and
his leadership quite so relentlessly? It is also appropriate to commend
politicians and community workers in the nationalist and republican ranks
who have played a vital role in convincing the IRA that it could not escape
its obligations and expect to have representatives in government. There
remains much work, too, for those who have influence with loyalist paramilitary
organisations. It cannot be forgotten that as recently as a week ago, the
UFF was threatening to dust off its guns and use them again in anger. |
