IRA statements and the 'ceasefire'
One of P O'Neill's gravest IRA statements accompanied the ending of the IRA's first "complete cessation of military operations" in February 1996 and the bombing of London's docklands.
That ceasefire was restored in July 1997 to foster political progress, which ultimately led to the Belfast Agreement in 1998.
Yet at various points of crisis throughout the peace process, the IRA has broken off and re-engaged with the body charged with overseeing weapons decommissioning.
In 1998 the IRA insisted it would never decommission any of its weapons. A statement following the conclusion of the Belfast Agreement in April 1998 noted that the agreement marked political progress but "clearly falls short of presenting a solid basis for a lasting settlement".
It promised to monitor developments and said: "Let us make it clear that there will be no decommissioning by the IRA." However, in November 1999, after the conclusion of the Mitchell review of the peace process, the IRA committed to sending a representative to deal with Gen John de Chastelain, head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD).
On that occasion P O Neill said: "The IRA is willing to further enhance the peace process and, consequently, following the establishment of the institutions agreed on Good Friday last year, the IRA leadership will appoint a representative to enter into discussions with Gen John de Chastelain and the IICD." The IRA withdrew co-operation with the IICD in February 2000 after the decision by the then northern secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, to suspend the Stormont institutions in an attempt to prevent the total collapse of the Belfast Agreement.
P O'Neill said: "The British secretary of state has reintroduced the unionist veto by suspending the political institutions. This has changed the context in which we appointed a representative to meet with the IICD and has created a deeper crisis." Using similar language to Wednesday's statement, the IRA said: "In the light of these changed circumstances the leadership of the IRA have decided to end our engagement with the IICD. We are also withdrawing all propositions put to the IICD by our representative since November."
By May 2000, as intensive efforts were made to agree a sequence of events to restore progress, the IRA announced it would permit independent witnesses to inspect its arms dumps. It further signalled that full implementation of the agreement would lead to the IRA initiating " a process that will completely and verifiably put IRA arms beyond use". The statement promised to resume contact with the IICD.
Devolution was restored and IRA dumps were subsequently inspected in June.
However, following further political difficulties in which the IRA accused the British government of reneging on its commitments, unionists claimed IRA contacts with Gen de Chastelain were at a minimum.
In March 2001 the IRA referred to its contact with the IICD and warned: "For this engagement to be successful, the British government must deliver on its obligations." The following August the IRA said in a statement that a scheme had been agreed with the IICD to put arms completely and verifiably beyond use.
Nevertheless, unionists denounced what they saw as lack of progress on actual decommissioning. One week later the IRA issued a fresh statement saying: "The outright rejection of the IICD statement by the UUP leadership, compounded by the setting of preconditions, is totally unacceptable." It withdrew the offer on weapons it had made to Gen de Chastelain.
The following month, amid a political hiatus over the arrest of three Irishmen in Colombia, P O'Neill signed another statement which claimed that efforts involving the IICD were being intensified. This was followed in October 2001 by an IRA announcement that an act of decommissioning had taken place "to save the peace process" and "to persuade others of our genuine intentions".
In April 2002 the IRA again announced it had put a second consignment of its weapons beyond use and it demanded that the British government and unionists make the political process work. However, there was a new crisis. On October 14th, fuelled by allegations of IRA intelligence-gathering at Stormont, the Assembly was again suspended. This led to the IRA suspending contact with the IICD for the third time.