The Democratic Unionist Party continues to insist the British government is planning to legalise the IRA, despite a denial by the Secretary of State. In a terse statement issued on Saturday, Dr Mo Mowlam said: "Reports that I am preparing to make the IRA a legal organisation are absolutely untrue." She was responding to newspaper speculation prompted by DUP reaction to the Bill on early prisoner releases.
"The Northern Ireland (Sentences) Bill simply provides a means for specifying organisations whose supporters will not benefit from early releases," the statement said. "Those who are trying to suggest that I am planning to de-proscribe the IRA are unhelpfully trying to confuse the public."
The DUP's deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, responded by effectively betting his political career on a prediction that the IRA would not be listed as a "terrorist organisation" under the terms of the Bill.
In a statement issued late on Saturday he said: "If, before our press conference on Monday morning, she publicly undertakes to list the Provisional IRA as a terrorist organisation under the terms of the Sentences Bill I will withdraw from the Assembly election."
The Bill states: "A terrorist organisation is an organisation specified by order of the Secretary of State; and he may specify only organisations which he (sic) believes: (a) are concerned in terrorism connected with the affairs of Northern Ireland, or in promoting or encouraging it, and (b) have not established or are not maintaining a complete and unequivocal ceasefire."
Prisoners considered to belong to terrorist organisations, as defined in the Bill, will not be considered for release. Mr Robinson told The Irish Times yesterday he made his promise to withdraw from the election in the utter certainty that Dr Mowlam would not list the Provisional IRA as a terrorist organisation.
Party councillor, Mr Sammy Wilson, agreed with Mr Robinson, saying: "Clearly she cannot release from prison people who are members of illegal organisations, therefore if the two-year release programme is to be met then she must declare the IRA a legal organisation."
A spokesman for the Northern Ireland Office said yesterday they had no knowledge of this latest statement from Mr Robinson. However, he added: "If an organisation ceases to carry out terrorism it ceases to be a terrorist organisation, I would say. We're taking steps forward here to situations that haven't come about yet."
Mr Robinson said he had communicated his concerns to Dr Mowlam's private secretary. The NIO spokesman said later there would be no public response.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, dismissed the controversy yesterday. "All this chasing after ghosts and bogeymen is a bit silly," he said.