Paramilitary groups in Northern Ireland are to be given another five years to scrap their weapons, under legislation unveiled today by the British government.
Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid told MPs that despite "huge imperfections" in the peace process, decommissioning should not be allowed to stall because of an "arbitrary" deadline.
The Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning (Amendment) Bill extends the decommissioning amnesty for a further year from midnight on February 26th, 2002, when it is currently due to expire.
The legislation could then be extended on an annual basis, to be approved each time by Parliament, until 2007.
Dr Reid said: "What is obviously the case is that Sinn Féin's signature of the Belfast Agreement gave rise to a reasonable expectation that since Sinn Féin had signed that agreement that there would be within the specified period ... full decommissioning and that is partly why there is such disappointment.
"I wish that that had happened ... I wish that not only the Provisional IRA but all of the loyalist groups would have decommissioned by next February, but I can't wish away the fact that it is now extremely unlikely that that will be accomplished.
"The choice is ... whether or not we make it illegal, by voting against this extension, for people to decommission after February 26th because there will be no legal immunity for it."
In October the IRA carried out an act of decommissioning in the presence of the head of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, Gen John de Chastelain which triggered the return of Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble as Northern Ireland's First Minister.
This act was described as "significant" by General de Chastelain although the substance of the arms haul has not been made public.
Dr Reid urged MPs to back the extension, he said: "What isn't helpful is to dictate that there will be an absolute end by definition, an arbitrary end, for one aspect of the agreement alone and to pretend that that will deliver the objective which we seek. That isn't an honest, far less practical, application of our experience."