Blair, Ahern seek to break deadlock

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JUNE 28. Three days before Mr. David Trimble is set to resign as head of the ruling coalition in Northern Ireland to force the IRA to surrender its weapons, the Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, and his Irish counterpart, Mr. Bertie Ahern, held talks with leaders of major parties in Belfast today to break the deadlock.

Before the start of the talks, it was stated that they were intended not so much to achieve an immediate breakthrough as to continue the dialogue over the three main issues which are holding up further progress on the Good Friday Agreement - arms decommissioning, demilitarisation and police reforms.

While Mr. Trimble's resignation on July 1 looked a certainty, there were indications that the British Government was not thinking of suspending the Assembly in the hope that a deal might be worked out in the run-up to the election of his successor. The Assembly will have until August 12 to elect a new leader which gives the IRA time to show some progress on arms decommissioning without appearing to have acted under pressure. The situation, however, could spin out of control if other unionist Ministers also decide to quit the coalition which would effectively lead to its collapse.

The Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr. John Reid, sought to put on a brave face, saying he expected the IRA to disarm. ``I actually think it will be done. I believe that David Trimble believes that it could be done and he has stuck his neck out in taking a risk'', he said in a radio interview adding that such a move would be welcomed by the entire community, not just the unionists. Mr. Gerry Adams, leader of the IRA's political arm, Sinn Fein, which is a partner in the coalition, said he believed the decommissioning issue could be resolved, but criticised attempts to pressure his party. A Sinn Fein spokesman blamed Mr. Trimble for creating a crisis, and said it was for him to resolve it. ``The primary responsibility lies with Mr. Trimble who should withdraw his resignation threat and, secondly, the British Government who need to implement and honour the commitments they made in the Good Friday Agreement'', he said referring to the party's insistence on scaling down the British security presence in Northern Ireland, and revamping the police force.

The Unionist hardliners maintained that there could be no progress on the agreement unless the IRA started decommissioning. They said Sinn Fein should be expelled from the coalition if it continued to keep its arms. ``Tony Blair should fulfill the pledges he made to David Trimble that those who fail to get rid of illegal weapons will not be allowed to sit in Government'', one hardline Unionist leader said.

Mr. Blair and Mr. Ahern were also expected to meet General John de Chastelain, head of the Disarmament Commission which, in a a new report, is expected to give its assessment of the IRA's weapons policy. The commission recently certified that the IRA had not been using its weapons and that its arms dumps were intact and safe. Unionists, however, say this is not enough, and the republicans must put the weapons beyond use.

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