Robinson says SF devolution claim 'false'

DUP LEADER Peter Robinson has accused Gerry Adams of making "bizarre" and "false" claims about the devolution of policing and…

DUP LEADER Peter Robinson has accused Gerry Adams of making "bizarre" and "false" claims about the devolution of policing and justice powers.

The Sinn Féin president was accused of distorting the extent of progress in talks between the two parties on the issue.

Mr Robinson also restated the claim that many issues remain unresolved and that there never had been an agreed devolution date to which he was bound.

His rebuke of Mr Adams follows a letter, written jointly by Mr Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness on Monday, outlining three main areas of agreement between their two parties on justice devolution.

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On Wednesday, the British and Irish governments confirmed they had asked the Independent Monitoring Commission to produce a special report on the current status of the IRA army council.

The standing down of the army council is a key DUP demand ahead of the transfer of justice powers which is keenly sought by Sinn Féin.

"[Mr Adams's] repeated suggestion that the DUP signed up to a date, or even a target date, for the devolution of policing and justice functions to the Northern Ireland Assembly at St Andrews is demonstrably false," said Mr Robinson.

"This is not merely a matter of interpretation, but a question of fact. This makes his constant comments on the subject all the more bizarre and difficult to understand.

"There is no definitive date for the devolution of policing and justice powers. We remain of the unshakable view that those powers can only be transferred whenever there is the required community confidence."

Progress has been made, he added, but "considerable hurdles" lie ahead and will need to be resolved before a date for the devolution of the powers can be considered. He said the involvement of the Assembly committee which oversees Executive functions will help ensure the widest possible backing for justice devolution.

"Too often in the past short-term, cobbled-together political deals have been done which have not been in the best interests of Northern Ireland. This issue is too important for such an approach now."

Mr McGuinness yesterday criticised the two governments' decision to order an ad-hoc Independent Monitoring Commission report on the IRA army council.

"The IRA have clearly gone off the stage and have done so since 2005," said Mr McGuinness. "But there's still attempts being made by some people to drag them back on and I think that's silly."