Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Peter Robinson today said the continued existence of the IRA’s ruling army council poses a major block to political progress in Northern Ireland.
Speaking after meeting Police Service of Northern Ireland Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde, the First Minister warned that plans to devolve policing and justice powers to Stormont would be blocked until IRA structures were removed.
Mr Robinson said Mr Orde told him the army council remained in place but was not involved in terrorist activity.
The DUP has said the IRA's ruling army council must cease to exist before policing and justice powers can be devolved.
“I don’t believe that we are in that position,” he said today.
“I accept what the Chief Constable says that they are not meeting for any terrorist purpose,” said Mr Robinson. “But we require the removal of the IRA’s army council and we’ve always made that clear.”
The Independent Monitoring Commission is to publish a report tomorrow that is expected to say the army council still exists but no longer poses any paramilitary threat. In a report last May, the IMC said the IRA had almost completed the transformation from a paramilitary organisation.
DUP and Sinn Féin leaders are expected to meet for talks on Thursday as they begin the task of settling their long-running split on a series of issues including the devolution of justice powers, education reform, the future of the Maze prison site and the promotion of the Irish language.
Sinn Féin has threatened to pull its ministers out of the Stormont Cabinet if progress is not made soon. The party, which refuses to recognise the IMC, said its contributions in the past have been unhelpful.
Speaking in Dublin at a party think-in, Dáil leader Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin said: "Whatever is in the IMC report, Sinn Féin is here to address the representative politics that we have been entrusted to articulate.
"We are in the business, as a republican party, of representing our constituents and an ever-growing electorate across the state and the island of Ireland," he said.
"IMC reports and any other contributions to the ongoing difficulties that may present north of the border - these are, at the end of the day, another dimension entirely and the IMC's contribution heretofore has been not been
helpful."