IRA renew contact with de Chastelain weapons body

The IRA today renewed contact with the international decommissioning body as the Taoiseach and the British Prime Minister attempted to end the deadlock threatening the future of the Northern Ireland peace process.

Seven hours after announcing a decision to enter fresh talks with the head of the decommissioning body General John de Chastelain, the IRA confirmed the lines of communication had been re-opened.

A statement said: "Our representative has been in touch with the IICD (Independent International Commission on Decommission) and made it aware of our intention to enter into further discussion."

It will be the first time the two sides have met face-to-face since June last year.

The move shows the IRA'scommitment to the search for peace and to the whole peace process, the Sinn Féin president Mr GerryAdams said.

Sinn Féin president Mr Gerry Adams

Speaking before entering talks in Co Down this morning Mr Adams said the IRA statement had created space "despite the shenanigans and lack of good will by other parties, particularly the British government".

"I think what we need to be talking about now is the other issues. For example the unlawful behaviour of the First Minister, for example the British government's refusal to demilitarise, their refusal to follow through on the recommendations of their own commission on policing, the silence of the governments in the face of the behaviour by the First Minister.

"These are all political matters which need to be dealt with and that should be the focus of the discussions here this morning," Mr Adams said.

But the Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr David Trimble said the IRA move was a "pre-emptive strike" ahead of the negotiations to put pressure on others.

The Northern Ireland First Minister, surrounded by Stormont and Westminster colleagues, responded that if republicans wanted the sanctions against Sinn Féin to be lifted they would have to honour their commitment last May to put the IRA's weapons beyond use by this June.

"What they promised to do was that they would initiate a process that would put their weapons beyond use completely and verifiably," he said.

"At the time they made that promise they had 13 months in which to keep it. Because of their dilatory nature we are now in the situation where there is barely three months left for them to keep that promise.

"The sooner they get started, the better."

Mr Seán Neeson, Alliance Party leader, said he was surprised the statement had come out now but gave it a "cautious welcome".

He said it seemed very similar to what the IRA had said nearly a year ago.

But he said the one thing his party had complained about was the lack of transparency in the peace process and today's round-table talks provided the opportunity that if an agreement was made everyone would know what the agreement was.

Additional reporting: PA