Monitoring paramilitaries focus of North talks – Flanagan

Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has said “accelerated” talks in Belfast next week will aim to reach consensus on the formation of a new body to monitor paramilitary groups.

Speaking in Dublin on Thursday, Mr Flanagan said the Stormont situation remained “fragile”, but he was more optimistic about a resolution after bilateral discussions on Wednesday with the Northern parties and engagement with Northern Secretary Teresa Villiers.

“There appears to be a broadly based consensus that a form of verification is needed if we are to restore trust and confidence among the parties, and that restoration of trust is obviously vital in the context of moving forward under power-sharing.

“It’s too early to speak about specific detail, but we will be working towards reaching a consensus on a form of verification body monitoring committee, and I expect that that will form an early part of our deliberations next week.”

This could go some way towards meeting DUP leader Peter Robinson’s demands for commitments from the British Government, without appearing pre-empt any outcomes from the talks that could antagonise Sinn Fein and other parties.

“The agenda is quite clear, but the means by which that agenda might be the subject matter of discussions is challenging,” Mr Flanagan said.

Will and way

He called for a new level of political will from all parties in Northern Ireland.

“Things are very fragile in the North. We are going through very, very difficult times, very testing times in terms of the institutions and their future,” he said.

“Coming back last night I was more optimistic than I was when I arrived in Belfast. I expect that the talks process will be accelerated considerably on Monday next.”

He said he was encouraged by comments from Mr Robinson, who stood aside as first minister last week in response to the crisis following from the murder of Belfast republican Kevin McGuigan.

Mr Robinson has said he wants round-table talks to begin on Monday but he needs commitments from the British government for that to happen. The requirements are understood to relate to security measures to deal with paramilitary crime and other activity.

Mr Flanagan added: “If we are to reach a resolution on the outstanding issues, all of which are complex and detailed and difficult, it will involve a new level of political will on the party of all parties in Northern Ireland.”

Ms Villiers announced in the House of Commons this week there could be a role for a new body similar to the former Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) in evaluating whether the IRA and other paramilitary groups were still operating.

The IMC, set up by the British and Irish governments in January 2004, published its final report in July 2011.

The members of the IMC were Joe Brosnan, retired secretary general of the Department of Justice; Lord Alderdice, former leader of the Alliance Party; John Grieve, former UK police officer; and Dick Kerr, former deputy director of the CIA.