Seventeen months of peace after 25 years of Northern troubles

AFTER 25 years of the Troubles - with 3,169 dead, 38,680 injured and 10,001 bombings - the IRA ceasefire was announced.

"Recognising the potential of the current situation and in order to enhance the democratic peace process and underline our definitive commitment to its success, the leadership of Oglaigh na hEireann have decided that as of midnight Wednesday August 31st (1994) there will be a complete cessation of military operations."

With those words the IRA ceased its campaign of violence. Immediately the debate began over whether "complete cessation" meant "permanent cessation".

No "backdoor deals, no backdoor political pacts or agreements" had been done to bring about the ceasefire, the then Taoiseach, Mr Albert Reynolds, insisted after the announcement following months of speculation.

Within 24 hours there was a loyalist killing when a Catholic man, in his 20s, John O'Hanlon, was shot dead by the UDA in north Belfast as he worked on a car.

On September 5th, 1994 Mr Reynolds began discussions with the other party leaders about setting up the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation.

The next day he and the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, publicly met the Sinn Fein leader, Mr Gerry Adams, at Government Buildings in Dublin. Unionist politicians reacted with anger.

The British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, visited Belfast on September 16th where he announced that a referendum would be held in the North on any new Irish British agreement.

The British broadcasting ban issued in October 1988 was lifted on September 16th.

On the 24th Mr Adams began a two week tour of the US and the British government launched a counter offensive with the then Foreign Secretary, Mr Douglas Hurd, deriding him as "Mr 10 per cent".

On October 14th, loyalist paramilitaries announced their ceasefire.

On November 10th, Newry post office worker Frank Kerr was shot dead by a "maverick" IRA group during a robbery at Newry sorting office. The Government delayed the release of prisoners from Portlaoise. But the ceasefire remained "intact", the British government insisted.

In November/December the Government collapsed and a new one was formed under Mr John Bruton.

In February Sinn Fein held its first ard fheis since the ceasefire and appealed to unionists to become involved in talks.

On March 1st Mr Adams said he wanted all weapons taken permanently out of Irish politics. The Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, said there was nothing in the Framework Document proposals which diluted United Kingdom sovereignty over Northern Ireland.

On March 6th the Ulster Unionist Party released the text of a policy paper which it had presented to Mr Major in January, proposing an internationally led disarmament commission.

On March 8th the Northern Ireland Office announced unrestricted access to the commercial centre of Belfast for the first time in 20 years.

On March 9th President Clinton lifted the ban on Sinn Fein fundraising in the US.

After exploratory talks with British government officials, Mr Adams offered negotiations with British ministers on a broad agenda including the decommissioning of weapons.

On March 16th a Semtex bomb was detonated in a DIY store in Newry, Co Down. The Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, said it was planted by somebody "out to wreck the peace process". Mr Adams said it was clearly a "British dirty trick"

President Clinton met Mr Adams.

By March 19th, Mr Adams was confident that talks with the British government would begin within a fortnight.

An SDLP delegation held "surprise" talks with the UUP and the DUP.

On April 20th Mr Adams delivered an ultimatum about talks with the British government.

On April 24th the British government announced that a "sufficient basis now exists for the entry of Ministers into the exploratory dialogue with Sinn Fein.

On May 3rd in Derry, police clashed with republican protesters during a visit by Mr Major.

On Wednesday May 10th, a Sinn Fein delegation led by Mr Martin McGuinness met British Ministers at Stormont for the first time in 23 years.

On May 25th the Washington investment conference began, at which Mr Mayhew met Mr Adams for the first time.

At the end of May street protests in the loyalist Shankill area of Belfast were blamed on unionist discontent with the peace process. The protests culminated in the first gun attack on the RUC since the loyalists announced their ceasefire.

In a further display of British Irish "rapprochement" the Prince of Wales made his first visit to the Republic of Ireland on June 1st.

The reduction in Garda numbers on the Border began on June 11th when 20 gardai were transferred to Dublin.

In July the IRA confirmed that it had been told to prepare for a possible resumption of violence in the autumn.

As wrangling continued over decommissioning, three IRA prisoners in Whitemoor jail in England began a "dirty protest" over what they said was a deterioration of conditions since the ceasefire.

The British soldier Private Lee Clegg was released, prompting three days of rioting in Belfast.

Orangemen in Portadown were engaged in a three day stand off with the RUC over their right to march through a nationalist area.

Just before the first anniversary of the ceasefire, Mr Adams again met Mr Mayhew.

The US administration increased its efforts to set up an international commission on decommissioning, in an attempt to resolve the impasse over interparty talks.

Mr Bruton announced that he would be prepared to do a deal on arms with the British government, without Sinn Fein or IRA involvement if necessary.

Mr Molyneaux announced his resignation as party leader and Mr David Trimble was elected his successor. One of his first public proposals was an elected assembly for the North. Mr Mayhew said the British government, was working on a "twin track" approach an international independent body to advise on decommissioning, and political talks involving all parties.

Mr Adams said that the peace process was "doomed to collapse" over the British government's demand for the decommissioning of weapons.

In December 1995, the decommissioning body was set up under the chairmanship of the former US Senator, Mr George Mitchell. Meetings with all interested parties began.

On January 5th, 1996, the RUC Chief Constable said the IRA had committed five murders in five weeks.

On January 22nd Mr Mitchell sent his report to the British and Irish governments. The recommendations included a total commitment to democratic means and to total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations. But she said the reality was that there would be no decommissioning before all party talks.

Mr Major in the House of Commons announced his proposal for an elected body in the North as an alternative to decommissioning. The SDLP leader accused him of buying unionist votes and the gulf widened between the British and Irish governments.

Last Sunday Mr Mitchell warned that there could be a split within the IRA if all party talks did not begin soon. Mr Martin McGuinness denied that there was a danger of a split.

Mr Spring announced his proposal for a Dayton type multilateral conference to discuss the way forward, but the NIO Security Minister, Mr Michael Ancram, dismissed this as premature.