Sir - I commend The Irish Times for promoting the right to freedom of speech. There can be no other reason for devoting such extensive column space to the delusionary John Waters article, "Time to Stop Asking the IRA to give up its Arms" (Opinion, April 27th). Mr Waters' analysis is flawed and his logic is that of a conspiracy theorist. I would raise issue with the following specific points which were central to the article:
Mr Waters draws a clear distinction between Sinn Fein and the IRA. Given the recent appearance of released IRA members, who had been imprisoned for terrorist offences, to a rapturous response at a Sinn Fein Ard Feis, the scale of distinction drawn is at best implausible.
Mr Waters's assertion that decommissioning is being demanded in order to prevent it taking place is so inherently contradictory that it is absurd.
Mr Waters states that "volunteers" engage in violence solely to "create political momentum". I would be interested to hear the views of the many victims of "punishment attacks" regarding this assertion. Mr Waters states that "the IRA wants the freedom to dispose of its weaponry". I am not aware of any evidence in the public domain to support this assertion. Mr Waters may have private information and, if so, I would be interested in its source.
Finally, Mr Waters suggests that the republican movement "steal the moral high ground" concerning the current impasse. In the context of the significant legal and constitutional advances made under the Good Friday Agreement, the commencement of a process to reform the RUC, very significant prisoner releases and a reduction in the level of security forces, it appears that the continuing impasse on decommissioning is the last hurdle. In these circumstances, a resolution of the issue (regardless of the form of the resolution) is an opportunity for republicanism to "catch up" rather than gain the "moral high ground".
The basic thesis pursued by the article was that the "semantic propaganda" and "gamesmanship" of the two governments, the vast majority of the media, and the unionist movement is designed to frustrate the peace process and could "plunge this country back into war". This view is virtually impossible to support (except by recourse to a particular form of conspiracy paranoia) given the huge investment made in the process by all of the above parties and of course by Sinn Fein/IRA. - Yours, etc., Garrett O'Neill
Dublin 11.