Following a statement by former Canadian Gen. John de Chastelain, the head of the Independent International Decommissioning Body, outlining another decommissioning act by the IRA, the Unionist leader David Trimble declared that it did not have the “transparency” that republicans had agreed to during their long series of intensive talks that preceded this week’s debacle and that therefore he was putting the process “on hold.”
“We had made it very clear to republicans and to the governments and to Gen. de Chastelain what we needed was a clear, transparent report of major acts of decommissioning,” a somber Trimble said.
Trimble’s reaction threw into doubt the fate of the Assembly elections announced the day before for Nov. 26.
Gen. de Chastelain had confirmed that the IRA had disposed of the largest consignment of weapons so far.
“I do want to make the point — and that is why we have indicated this time — that the amount of arms put beyond use was larger — I would say considerably larger — than the previous event,” he said. However, when asked by the press how it compared with the two previous acts of decommissioning, he said he could not reveal whether it was two or three times larger the previous acts, which occurred in 2001 and 2002.
He did not go into precise details on the type of weapons involved, though he did indicate it involved “light and medium-sized ordnance.” They included munitions, heavy mortars, light and heavy machine guns, explosives and explosive material. Nor could the retired general say where the acts had occurred other than that it was somewhere on the island of Ireland.
Trimble said he would be calling a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council, the party’s ruling body, on Wednesday, Oct. 29. In the meantime, both governments are desperately trying to rescue the process. Prime Minister Tony Blair, just recovering from a heart problem, is expected to delay his return to London as he, along with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, tries to overcome the latest crisis.
At a press conference after Trimble’s rejection, Blair tried to be upbeat, calling it a “glitch.” Ahern acknowledged that Trimble “had raised a very obvious position,” seeming to indicate an understanding of the Unionist leader’s dilemma. Both men spoke with hoarse voices and most unusually, Ahern commented on the problem that “the resolution to that isn’t so obvious.” As he left the podium his arms and head dropped despondently.
The day of disappointment got off to a good start with a major speech from Sinn Fein’s president in which he reiterated his “total commitment to playing a leadership role to bring an end to conflict on our island, including physical force republicanism.” He told a press conference that the IRA leadership “wants the full and irreversible implementation of the Good Friday agreement in all its aspects and they are determined that their strategies and actions will be consistent with this objective.”
Adams continued: “Implementation by the two governments and the parties of their commitments under the agreement provides the context in which Irish republicans and unionists will, as equals, pursue their objectives peacefully, thus providing full and final closure of the conflict.
“Actions and the lack of actions on the ground speak louder than words and I believe that everyone — including the two governments and the unionists — can now move forward with confidence. Sinn F