Row over leaked plan to save Ulster pact

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, JULY 25. A squabble has broken out over the leaked contents of the British and Irish Governments' proposed compromise package to save the Northern Ireland peace process threatened by irreconcilable differences over arms decommissioning by the IRA.

The row even before the package has been finalised has dashed prospects of an early end to the political crisis caused by the resignation of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) chief, Mr. David Trimble as head of the provincial government to force the IRA to disarm. If no solution is found by August 12 - the constitutional deadline for finding a successor to Mr. Trimble - the British Government would be forced to either suspend the Assembly or call fresh elections.

There has been a sharp reaction from Unionists to reports that the package, expected to be announced later this week, does not deal strongly enough with decommissioning and instead offers ``concessions'' to Republicans on policing and their demand for reducing the British security presence in Northern Ireland. According to the ``leaked'' information, the proposals include greater role for ex-paramilitaries in policing, amnesty for fugitive convicted terrorists, a ban on use of plastic bullets by the police, and steps to scale down security. Officials of the Irish Government were quoted as saying that the proposals were intended to pave the way for IRA to start decommissioning.

However, neither Unionists nor republicans were happy. While Unionists dubbed the package as one more attempt to appease the Republicans without addressing their own concerns, the republicans said it fell short of their minimum demands which must be met before they start decommissioning. Senior Unionist leaders made it clear that they were not willing to accept any arrangement which allowed Sinn Fein to continue to sit in the Government while its armed wing, the IRA, retained its weapons. They insisted that decommissioning was a key component of the Good Friday Agreement and there could be no further progress unless a beginning was made on this issue.

The acting head of the provincial government, Sir Reg Empey said: ``We are not prepared to allow Sinn Fein to continue (in the Government) while the IRA continues to break its public promise to decommission its weaponry. If the proposed package does not deal with the decommissioning issue effectively then it is unacceptable.'' Unionist members of the Northern Ireland Assembly were reported to be unanimous in rejecting any proposal that did not tackle head-on the issue of decommissioning. Hardline Unionists were particularly angry over what they termed as the British and Irish Governments' ``appeasement'' of Republicans. ``The (two) Governments must place the burden of resolving this impasse on those who have brought it about - Sinn Fein and IRA. There is no justification for further appeasement of republicans to secure decommissioning,'' one hardline Unionist said.

Even as observers were dismayed, officials sought to keep their chin up saying that the package offered enough elbow-room to both sides. There was a view that it would be premature to be distracted by off-the-cuff reactions to ``leaks'', and a compromise could perhaps still be worked out once the detailed proposals were known and discussed. The two Governments, however, have made it clear that the proposals are being offered on a ``take-it-or-leave-it'' basis and there is no room for renegotiation.

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