Taoiseach signals shift in strategy on North

The government has signalled a change of strategy in relation to Northern Ireland, seeking to replace demands for IRA weapons…

The government has signalled a change of strategy in relation to Northern Ireland, seeking to replace demands for IRA weapons decommissioning by May with an IRA commitment to disband as part of a lasting settlement.

As a series of political talks begins in Belfast this week, Government sources have accepted the IRA will not concede demands for decommissioning as a quid pro quo for restoration of the suspended political institutions in the North.

The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ms Liz O'Donnell, and other Government sources have also indicated they see the May 22nd deadline for the completion of decommissioning as unachievable.

Instead, contacts will take place this week to see if a new formula can be devised which would allow for the restoration of the suspended institutions.

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The ideas now under consideration in Dublin involve a commitment to the dismantling of the British military presence, the implementation of the other aspects of the Belfast Agreement and dealing with the arms issue through an IRA commitment to ultimate disbandment.

While IRA disbandment would only take place at the end of this process, Government sources acknowledge that a clear demonstration of IRA commitment to achieve this end would have to be provided at the outset. It is not clear how the Government hopes to achieve this in a way that would satisfy unionists.

However, the key aspects of the Government's strategy were signalled over the weekend by the Taoiseach and the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Mr Ahern yesterday indicated a change in what he was seeking from the IRA before the institutions could be re-established, saying this could not happen "without some basis of discussion on the decommissioning issue". This is much less specific than past demands that the IRA say if and when it will decommission.

In his weekend speech to the Fianna Fail Ardfheis, Mr Ahern also clearly indicated the view that the arms issue should be dealt with in the context of British demilitarisation. He said: "It was unfortunate that right up to the last minute more progress had not been made in sorting out the very difficult arms issue and in demilitarising areas like south Armagh."

He made no call for decommissioning, signalling instead the broader view that "if inclusive partnership government is to be sustained, then all the armies must be stood down".

Mr Cowen also avoided putting decommissioning centre stage, saying: "What matters most is that the conflict should be definitively at an end and the primacy of politics secured."

He said this had to involve putting weapons beyond use, but indicated that some "normalisation" was needed before this would happen. "Normalisation" is understood by nationalists to mean reducing the security presence and reforming criminal justice and policing.

"There is disagreement on when we reach the point of normalisation sufficient to resolve the arms issue," he said.

Referring to the May 2000 deadline, Ms O'Donnell said: "Things are taking longer than we anticipated and I think there has to be some flexibility, given that the executive was only operating for nine weeks."