Building confidence” “

The IRA, the Irish Republic Army, has completely destroyed its arsenal. The Canadian John de Chastelain, head of the team of international observers, gave the announcement in Belfast on 26 September. It follows that made by the IRA in July, in which it announced the end of its armed struggle and pledged to pursue its objective of ending British rule over the six counties of Northern Ireland and the reunification of the whole island using political means alone. Two priests witnessed the destruction of the IRA’s stockpile of weapons: the Catholic Alex Reid and the Methodist Harold Good. The weapons destroyed include rifles, machine guns, mortars, missiles, pistols, explosives, explosive substances and munitions. Satisfaction in the move has been expressed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair who said the IRA move represents “an important step forward for the development of the peace process”. Of the same view is also Irish premier Bertie Ahern : “the announcement that the IRA has honoured its commitment to put out of use its own weapons is of historic importance”. The reactions of the Unionists have been a good deal more cautious. According to Jeffrey Donaldson , of the Protestant Unionist part, the DUP, “greater transparency is needed. They haven’t furnished us with sufficient details about the disarmament”. Of the same view is also Ian Paisley , head of the Ulster Unionist Party, the leading party in Northern Ireland: “we don’t know how many pistols and how much explosives have been destroyed and we weren’t told how they were destroyed”. DIALOGUE HAS REPLACED VIOLENCE. An “immensely significant confidence-building measure in favour of a more peaceful and stable society in Northern Ireland”: that’s how the catHOLIC BISHOPS OF NORTHERN IRELAND hailed the IRA decommissioning in the course of their autumn General Assembly (held in Maynooth on 26 September). The bishops welcomed the decommissioning of the IRA’s stockpiles, as announced by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) and two independent witnesses, Rev. Harold Good and Father Alex Reid. “We welcome the confirmation by the IICD and the two independent Church witnesses that the IRA has honoured the commitments set out in its statement of 28 July 2005”, says the press release in which the bishops call this act “an immensely significant confidence-building measure in favour of a more peaceful and stable society in Northern Ireland”. “Today’s announcement – the bishops continue – is a vindication of the efforts undertaken by all those who have, over the years, courageously worked to replace violence with dialogue”. The Irish bishops express the hope “that all who exercise leadership will continue to affirm the political process as the means to resolve any remaining issues in the search for peace. We call on all other paramilitary groups to affirm their commitment to exclusively peaceful and democratic means”. HEALING SCARRED MEMORIES. The Anglican Church of Ireland has also expressed its deep satisfaction at the announcement of a complete disarmament by the IRA. “Each destruction of terrorist weapons – writes Anglican Archbishop Robin Eames, primate of all Ireland, in a press release – is warmly welcomed”. The announcement – he adds – “represents an important step. For all of us it can become the sign of progress towards a peaceful and just society if it heralds the end of all future criminality and violence”. The archbishop appeals to the country’s political leaders to reflect carefully on what happened yesterday and “to be very careful in how they gauge their responses”. Eames further expressed “full respect” for “the integrity and judgement” of the Rev. Harold Good and Fr. Alex Reid, the two independent witnesses who were present at the destruction of the weapons. The press release ends by devoting a thought to “all those who have lost their loved ones as a result of the terrorism of the IRA. For them, today must be a time of deep emotion and memory”. The Anglican Archbishop of Dublin, John Neil writes: “Now we must create a culture able to reject violence”. “That’s the condition for healing scarred memories. Only such a reconciliation of memories can lead to the confidence without which it is impossible to build peace”. Fact File: eleven years of negotiations The disarmament of the Irish Republican Army has been concluded after 11 years. On 31 August 1994 the IRA announced “the complete cessation of military operations”. The 9 February 1996 marked the end of the IRA ceasefire with a Republican bomb in the Docklands of London: two dead and millions of pounds’ damage. In the following year, on 20 July 1997, the IRA renewed its ceasefire. On 10 April 1998 the Good Friday Agreement – a peace deal – was signed. On 2 December 1999, the first semi-independent Northern Ireland government was sworn in with power sharing between Protestant Unionists and Catholic Republicans. It remained in office for only two months, before London suspended it and resumed direct rule. With the decision of the Republicans to begin the decommissioning of their arsenal, the Belfast government was re-installed. Between August 2001 and October 2003 the IRA destroyed an unspecified quantity of weapons and presented a plan for their complete destruction. On 8 December 2004 a deal on IRA decommissioning seemed to have been reached. The IRA said it was ready to destroy its entire arsenal, but the negotiations were broken off at the request of the Unionist Ian Paisley, calling for photographic proof. On 28 July 2005 the IRA declared the end of its armed struggle. Two months later, on 26 September, came the announcement of the complete destruction of its arsenal.