Leaders confident of positive arms report

Expectations that progress is likely on the decommissioning of paramilitary arms have been raised after yesterday's meeting between…

Expectations that progress is likely on the decommissioning of paramilitary arms have been raised after yesterday's meeting between the Taoiseach and the Northern Ireland First Minister, Mr David Trimble, at Government Buildings in Dublin.

Both Mr Ahern and Mr Trimble made positive statements that the crucial report on decommissioning - to be published at the end of the month by the international commission headed by Gen John de Chastelain - would allow for the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement.

The Taoiseach said everyone could "look forward to the ongoing progress of a positive nature that is happening". He stressed that full implementation of the agreement involved both decommissioning and demilitarisation.

In a message directed at the republican movement, the Taoiseach said all sides had to fulfil their obligations under the agreement. He said the Government had already fulfilled its constitutional obligations while Mr Trimble had "very much fulfilled an enormous amount of institutional matters".

READ MORE

Mr Ahern said he hoped the IRA would act to place Gen de Chastelain "in a position to make a positive report". A positive assessment on decommissioning would allow for movement "in line with the full implementation of the Good Friday agreement and hopefully that will be the case".

An upbeat Mr Trimble said he believed it was "going to be possible to work though" any difficulties that might emerge. He said he hoped the report from the international commission "can point to progress clearly having been made".

Mr Trimble added that "further progress can be made in accordance with the understandings that we all had coming from, through and out of the Mitchell review. We had a very clear understanding then of how the process would move forward, particularly with Gen de Chastelain's commission".

The difficulties caused for Mr Trimble and his Ulster Unionist Party colleagues by the proposed establishment of a new police force in Northern Ireland were raised at a press conference after the meeting.

Mr Trimble said it would still be possible to have an impact on the policing changes at the legislative stage in the House of Commons. He said there was "no doubt that that is a very difficult issue and it is bound to cause problems because many people feel, and I share the feeling myself, that we didn't get the mixture just quite right".

The hour-long meeting between the Taoiseach and the First Minister, which was described as "cordial", reviewed the peace process and examined a number of Cross-Border policy issues.

Mr Trimble said he had drawn a lot of encouragement from the good working relationship that had developed between the new administration in the North and the Irish Government.

During his visit to Dublin, the First Minister also met the leader of Fine Gael, Mr John Bruton, and the Labour Party leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn.

Mr Bruton said Gen de Chastelain would "be expected to report on actions and results, not on expectations and aspirations".