Sir, - The most recent crisis to beset the peace process is regrettable in the extreme. The decommissioning issue has from the beginning been hijacked by certain unionist politicians to suit their own narrow political agendas. While everybody wants to see the terrorists dispose of their weapons, it is simply unrealistic to expect them to do so after the Executive has been in operation for a mere six weeks. The international body under the direction of General de Chastelain was established specifically to deal with this issue. While this task was never going to be an easy one, it has been made well nigh impossible by the fact that it has become subject to the internal machinations of Mr Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party. Had the commission been allowed to work unimpeded, there might have been a chance that it could deliver at least a start on decommissioning by May 2000, as agreed to by all the parties in the accord. Instead, we now have a new deadline, unilaterally declared by the Ulster Unionists. In these circumstances it is inconceivable that the IRA will disarm.
The simple reality of peace - albeit with guns still in circulation - has, more than anything else, made the establishment of the Executive possible. If disarmament is to be achieved the Executive must continue to function and be seen to do so. If politicians in the North wish to ensure that decommissioning never takes place, abandoning the Executive is the best way to do so. - Yours, etc.,
Nicky Dunne, Ranelagh, Dublin 6.