New ceasefire hinges on arms moves - O'Malley

SOME movement on decommissioning was essential as a confidence building measure in any new IRA ceasefire, Mr Des O'Malley told delegates.

"There is no half way house between democracy and terrorism. Politicians who have the support of the people do not need guns or explosives." The IRA and "their political cheerleaders" would have to be patient, the former party leader said.

"They will have to accept that the British government, the Irish Government, the unionist parties, the ordinary people will be sceptical. There are no instant solutions in the real world of democratic politics. In the real world of democratic politics, you do not get your way simply because you agree to stop murdering people."

The IRA would have to commit itself in the most unequivocal terms to peace, Mr O'Malley said. "It will have to turn away from violence for good and it will have to say that that is what it is doing." He hoped there would be a ceasefire and he wished Mr John Hume well in his efforts.

"I want to believe that we are back on the road to peace. But let us not underestimate the difficulties, and the first difficulty that has to be confronted is the question of credibility.

"Two years ago, the Provisional IRA declared a ceasefire. Their political associates stated publicly that this ceasefire would hold in all circumstances. Eighteen months later, however, they were back to the shooting and killing again.

"They terrorised nationalist communities in Northern Ireland with their kangaroo courts and their baseball bat justice system. They killed innocent people with bombs in Britain. They murdered my friend, Jerry McCabe, in Adare last summer. Why should people believe them this time?"

Mr O'Malley, speaking during the debate on Northern Ireland, said he believed Mr John Major genuinely wanted to solve the Northern problem. But the perilous margin by which he clung to power had undermined his position.

It was a tragedy that the window of opportunity, which might otherwise open for the North, was negated by the weakness of Mr Major's political position, not by his personal weakness.

But they had to look ahead and be optimistic in examining how a new political settlement in Northern Ireland was to come about he added. As tended to happen in all successful conflict resolution the leadership of the larger and more moderate factions on each side must conic together in an atmosphere of determination to make progress and willingness to compromise.

If that failed or only partially succeeded, the two governments had a duty, and he believed therefore a right, to draw up between them a plan for Northern Ireland based on the principles of nonmajoritarian power sharing and equality of esteem. Those basic principles were laid down in the Downing Street declaration and the subsequent joint documents.

Mr O'Malley said he did not think an Irish general election would make a profound difference to the attitude of the Irish government. "We have indeed come a long way in the Republic from the days when I was thrown out of a political party for suggesting that there were solutions to the Northern Ireland problem other than a single unitary state on this island.

Mr James O'Leary, Dublin South Central, said Sinn Fein had lost credibility after the breakdown of the IRA ceasefire. To applause from the delegates, he added: "And it needs to cease, in my opinion, and I would emphasise this strongly, its traditional role as the political representative of the IRA. It cannot have it both ways.