Another 'summit' on Northern Ireland next week

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JULY 5. Yet another `summit' on Northern Ireland is to be held next week as the British and Irish governments struggle to save the peace process in the wake of the crisis created by the resignation of Mr. David Trimble as head of the provincial government.

The proposed summit between the British Prime Minister, Mr. Tony Blair, and his Irish counterpart, Mr. Bertie Ahern, was today described as a ``major initiative'' to break the deadlock over arms decommissioning by IRA which has plunged the Good Friday agreement into a deep crisis. Mr. Trimble resigned on Sunday over the issue and Mr. Blair has six weeks - until August 12 - to get an agreement on decommissioning or he would have to either suspend the Assembly or call fresh elections.

This would be the third time in as many weeks that Mr. Blair and Mr. Ahern would be talking to the major players in Northern Ireland politics but the prospects of a breakthrough look slim as the initiative in recent weeks has passed to hardliners on both sides. Much would depend on the outcome of the Protestants' Orange March in Drumcree on July 8 which, as in previous years, has raised sectarian tension in the province raising fears of a confrontation at the weekend. Passions are already running high following the murder of a Catholic teenager with the Republicans blaming the heightened tension on Mr. Trimble's resignation.

As a tense weekend loomed, Mr. Blair again called upon all paramilitary units to disarm and though he did not specifically mention IRA his remarks were seen to be directed at it when he said: ``There is no doubt at all that decommissioning is an obstacle under the Good Friday agreement. It is an obstacle to progress now and that is why it is so important we have rapid progress on it now.'' The IRA is the only paramilitary outfit which is committed to the agreement via its political wing, Sinn Fein, and it was to have started the process of de-weaponisation last month. Mr. Blair, speaking in the Commons, said the time had come for political parties to choose between a democratic process and holding on to their weapons. ``I think that the moment of choice is here and now,'' he said.

Mr. Trimble and indeed all those committed to the Good Friday agreement argue that Sinn Fein cannot continue to be a part of the provincial government while its paramilitary wing, IRA, holds on to its guns. The pressure on Sinn Fein to get IRA to start decommissioning has increased following Mr. Trimble's resignation.

The Tory leader, Mr. William Hague, demanded an assurance from Mr. Blair in the Commons on Wednesday that no more concessions would be made to the Republicans pending progress on decommissioning.

He said the IRA had refused to decommission ``despite all the gains they have pocketed including the release of prisoners''.

The Sinn Fein is linking decommissioning to its demand for police reforms and scaling back the British security presence in Northern Ireland.

A likely compromise, which commentators have hinted at, could involve an IRA gesture on decommissioning in exchange for a reciprocal government gesture on policing and demilitarisation.

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Section  : International
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