IRA feels the heat of anti-terrorism drive

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, SEPT. 22. The international campaign against terrorism following last week's atrocities in the U.S. has raised hopes of a breakthrough in Northern Ireland as the IRA has agreed to destroy or disable two of its secret arms dumps, marking what is expected to be the start of decommissioning as envisaged in the Good Friday Agreement.

The move is likely to give a push to the peace process which has been deadlocked over the arms issue with Unionists insisting that they are no longer prepared to share power with Sinn Fein so long as its armed wing, the IRA, continues to hold on to its weapons.

The IRA's announcement on Friday, which coincided with a 24-hour tactical suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly to give the Unionists and Republicans enough time to resolve their differences, came amid mounting pressure on the Republican leadership from its traditional ally, Washington, which virtually signalled an end to its honeymoon with the IRA.

America's new tough anti-terrorism line was echoed by its Northern Ireland specialist, Mr. Richard Haas, who declared that after the carnage of Sept. 11 there was going to be a ``sea- change'' in how the U.S. perceived terrorism. He made clear that Washington had ``concerns'' about the IRA, particularly after three of its members were arrested in Colombia for allegedly hobnobbing with a local extremist group.

``They were not there for vacationing. ...They were involved in discussions about matters which can only be associated with activities that would fall under the rubric of terrorism,'' he said voicing serious concern over the IRA's reluctance give up its weapons.

Such reluctance, he pointed out, was a characteristic of paramilitary organisations. Pressure had also started building within Republican ranks with a new opinion poll indicating that a majority of Sinn Fein voters wanted the IRA to start decommissioning. Observers had begun to ask awkward questions of the British Government whose high-profile role in the U.S.-led ``war'' against terrorism was contrasted with its failure to rid its own backyard of weapons of terror. Both the British and Irish Governments had been pressing the Sinn Fein president, Mr. Gerry Adams, to get the arms issue out of the way but it was only after the Sept. 11 events that Mr Adams started to feel the heat.

A few days ago, the IRA announced that it would ``intensify'' its engagement with the independent decommissioning body and on Friday it decided to start de-weaponisation, beginning with the two dumps which have been examined three times by the decommissioning body. They would either be sealed or emptied. Though no time-frame is indicated, the process is likely to begin shortly.

While the move has been welcomed, it came too late to avert a short suspension of the Assembly. The suspension, forced by constitutional requirements, gives the two sides six weeks to resolve the crisis which erupted in July when the Ulster Unionist Party chief, Mr. David Trimble, resigned as head of the Assembly to protest lack of progress on decommissioning. If there is no agreement over the next six weeks, the British Government would be faced with two options: an indefinite suspension followed by a review of the Good Friday Agreement; or fresh elections.

Observers were convinced that the Republicans had been forced to act in the wake of the terrorist attacks in the U.S., and Mr. Adams acknowledged that the only ``sane response'' after what happened in America was to make the peace process work, though he emphasised that the other side had an equal obligation to ensure this.

Security sources were quoted as saying that after Sept. 11, the situation had moved into a ``different dimension'' and they expected the process of decommissioning to begin fairly soon. The Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr. John Reid, said the tragic events in the U.S. had brought into ``starker focus than ever before'' the choice between democracy and terror.

While hardline Unionists were sceptical, Mr. Trimble said the move could well lead to a breakthrough but the proof of the pudding was in the eating. Until the IRA really started destroying its weapons, its latest offer could well end up like similar ``gestures'' in the past - as an attempt to gain time.

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Section  : International
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