Warning on decommissioning

THE Cadogan Group of academics and economists has warned that allowing Sinn Fein to come to the talks table without the decommissioning of IRA weapons would likely lead to a return to IRA violence.

The group, which supports the North's union with Britain, in a new discussion paper says that there is no justification for paramilitaries retaining control of arms.

Fudging the issue of decommissioning may only postpone a return to violence, the group argues. "What happens if Sinn Fein does get into all party talks, with the IRA still in possession of arms?

"It is unlikely ... any agreement could emerge from such all party talks that would be acceptable to Sinn Fein. At some point the lesson to Sinn Fein/IRA would be inescapable armed struggle got us to this table, now we are blocked by politics, we must therefore return to armed struggle."

The paper says there is no denial of democracy in Northern Ireland. "Northern Ireland is part of the United Kingdom because of the clearly and freely expressed wish of a majority of its people," it adds.

"No democratic political leader can be expected to enter into general negotiations on an equal basis with representatives of a minority group with a record of terrorist activity, while that group retains illegal arms. There is no precedent in the democratic world for such a procedure."

There is no parallel, the group adds, between the situation in Northern Ireland and other conflict areas such as South Africa, where negotiations went ahead without surrender of arms.

"In both these instances large majorities were being denied democratic rights, rights endorsed by the United Nations. In Northern Ireland the democratic rights of the majority are threatened by an armed minority."

The paper concludes that paramilitary groups are not being asked to surrender their arms to the authorities, "but to surrender their belief in violence to the democratic process".