Sinn Fein rejects speculation of IRA arms move

The IRA has not taken any decision to decommission its weapons, according to republican sources in Belfast.

The IRA has not taken any decision to decommission its weapons, according to republican sources in Belfast.

A Sinn Féin source said their leaders were working hard to try and create the climate for a breakthrough on decommissioning.

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What is true is that there is a big effort by the Sinn Fein leadership... to sort out these difficulties.
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Sinn Féin

In an attempt to quash speculation that a breakthrough on disarmament was imminent, the source said: "There has been a lot of misleading commentary in the media, totally inaccurate commentary, which is causing some difficulties.

"I read and I hear people are being briefed by so-called security sources to expect movement on the arms issue by the IRA.

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"I read and I hear the IRA has taken a decision to put arms beyond use, that they are (IRA) Army conventions being planned to take that decision.

"None of that is true.

"What is true is that there is a big effort by the Sinn Féin leadership, people like Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness, to sort out these difficulties.

"What is true is that there are intense discussions involving Sinn Féin, the two governments and the others to do that.

"The approach we are taking is the approach that we have always taken to try to get movement ever since the inception of the process of trying to create a context in which people can take that step."

Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble met the Northern Ireland Secretary Mr John Reid in London today after hinting he was prepared to try to return as First Minister and lift his ban on Sinn Féin ministers attending official meetings with the Irish Government if there was a "credible and verifiable" start to decommissioning.

Mr Trimble has, however, refused to give any indication when his ministers will resign from the executive.

Stormont sources said they were "on standby" as of tomorrow, with Mr Trimble due to meet his party's executive on Friday.

The resignation of UUP ministers would put pressure on the Government to either collapse the Assembly, executive and other institutions or suspend them.

However, republicans insisted they were working hard to create the conditions in which decommissioning could take place.

Once that context was achieved, it would be up to the IRA to decide if it would put its weapons beyond use, he said, having already outlined a scheme to the international decommissioning body and withdrawn it in August.

The source said: "There is a singular focus right now on the IRA putting its arms beyond use.

"However there is no possibility of the IRA doing that unless the Ulster Unionists are prepared to commit themselves to sustaining and working the institutions and to ceasing the type of approach to the rights of ministers and those aspects of the Agreement which provide a centre of gravity to the process."