IMC Report:The British and Irish governments believe yesterday's positive Independent Monitoring Commission report on IRA activity should provide the "foundation stone" to facilitate the DUP and Sinn Féin agreeing by the end of November to share power in a devolved Stormont administration.
In the Dáil yesterday Mr Ahern said the IMC report was an "encouraging boost" to efforts to reinstate a fully functioning Northern Executive, while Mr Blair took time from a busy schedule to do three broadcast interviews to highlight the "significance" of the report.
The four-member IMC team, in their report, said the last three months had witnessed the "further dismantling of PIRA [Provisional IRA] as a military structure" and that it was the body's "absolutely clear view that the PIRA leadership has committed itself to following a peaceful path".
The report did not deal with the murder of Denis Donaldson, which will be addressed in the next crucial IMC report in October, and possibly earlier. Mr Blair, however, said yesterday there was no evidence that the IRA leadership "authorised or encouraged or incited" the killing.
While there was a mixed and guarded response from the DUP, the governments took some solace from the initial comments of party leader Ian Paisley who acknowledged the positive elements of the IMC findings: "This 10th report indicates a reduction in IRA activity and a further dismantling of the IRA as a military structure. In so far as it goes, such movement is to be welcomed."
Dr Paisley added, however, "The report highlights what everyone in Northern Ireland already knows, namely that the IRA is completely hostile to the forces of law and order.Such a continuing attitude is not the hallmark of an organisation that is fit to serve in government." One senior London source said the governments believed the report should provide the "foundation stone for a deal".
Moreover, Mr Blair gave interviews to BBC, UTV and RTÉ to stress the "significance" of the report.
"We have to be careful of putting ourselves in the situation where for years and years and years everyone has demanded that the IRA fulfil certain undertakings that have been given and then when they begin to fulfil them then don't accept that they are indeed being fulfilled," he said. He did not believe in formally imposing an additional "hurdle" that Sinn Féin must sign up to policing before a powersharing government was in place.
"But obviously it is a lot easier if everyone is working together with the proper institutions of law and order in Northern Ireland. We know what the problems have been in the past and again we are hopeful that this can be overcome.
"Clearly for people to have the right culture of lawfulness in Northern Ireland it has got to be clear there is only one law enforcement mechanism, and that is the police."
Mr Blair said the November 24th deadline for a deal set by the two governments was "firm", and added: "If things slip back I think that is an indication the circumstances for making progress don't exist, but the important point is that they haven't slipped back."