The killing of Robert McCartney in Belfast and allegations that it had been involved in a series of major robberies raised serious fears that the IRA had "lost its sense of discipline", leading US congressman Jim Walsh has declared.
The IRA's conduct had damaged Sinn Féin's platform and undermined the peace process, the Republican congressman, who has headed the Friends of Ireland group on Capitol Hill in Washington for the last five years, told The Irish Times in Syracuse yesterday.
Mr Walsh will meet Gerry Adams of Sinn Féin today, even though the Democratic senator, Ted Kennedy, and President Bush have both ruled out contacts on this occasion.
"I get the sense that the IRA has lost its discipline, that [after] this long period of cessation things are starting to leak out from the side a little bit, this criminality issue, these break-ins that they are alleged to have committed, show a breakdown in their discipline and it is really undercutting Sinn Féin," he declared.
Responding to questions about Sinn Féin's handling of the McCartney killing, Mr Walsh, who is the most influential Republican congressman on Irish issues in Washington, said: "They have not handled it well. I do think that they have handled this very poorly . . . They should have been far more aggressive about getting to the bottom of this murder."
Though he remained hopeful about the peace process, he said: "It is pretty clear that things have really become unglued given that you could say that we came within a photograph of an agreement in December. The sense here is that because of the activity of the IRA, alleged and admitted, and the murder of Mr McCartney, which they have admitted members of the IRA committed, really undermines Sinn Féin's political platform that they can move the IRA away from violence and into a democratic process."
However, Mr Walsh said he still believed the declaration offered to him and other leading Washington political figures by Sinn Féin's Mr Gerry Kelly during a Washington meeting in January when Mr Kelly said the IRA had not been involved in the Northern Bank raid in December.
"Everyone but Sinn Féin says that the IRA did it, but, as of today, there is no proof, there are no charges. Is that not true? I know your system is a little different, but in the US you are innocent until proven guilty and that is the way I think.
"Do I believe Sinn Féin? Yes I do. Gerry Kelly looked at us in the eyes and told what he believed to be true. If that is the case and the IRA did it, then the IRA lied to SF, which is a big problem." He said he still believed in the word of Sinn Féin's Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness.
"They have kept their word every time. I separate the IRA from the political party. I think that McGuinness and Adams have been very successful in politics. If the IRA were wise they would cease all activity and cede all their authority to the political leadership and join the 21st century."
Questioned about the Taoiseach's firm declaration in January that the IRA had carried out the robbery and that some in the Sinn Féin leadership had known about it in advance, Mr Walsh said: "I was surprised. I talked with him afterwards. He was very, very secure in his beliefs. I was very surprised. But I have great respect for him.
"I don't want to impute the Taoiseach's statements. But it was a very strong statement. I was very surprised. I came away with the feeling that he was absolutely convinced of what he said."