[Mb-civic] IRA Disarms, Fulfilling Vow Made in July, Official Says

[William Swiggard]

IRA Disarms, Fulfilling Vow Made in July, Official Says

By Mary Jordan and Kevin Sullivan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Monday, September 26, 2005; Page A01

LONDON, Sept. 25 -- The Irish Republican Army has scrapped its vast 
arsenal of guns and explosives in a landmark step toward ending more 
than three decades of political and religious violence in Northern 
Ireland, according to a source close to the independent weapons 
inspection commission that witnessed the disarmament process.

The weapons inspectors will report their findings Monday to the British 
and Irish governments, said the official, who insisted on anonymity 
because of the sensitivity of the issue. The disarmament, which the IRA 
promised in a statement in July, was also confirmed by Martin 
McGuinness, a senior member of Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing.

"The IRA's decision on July 28th to formally end its armed campaign has 
changed the political landscape in Ireland forever," McGuinness said in 
a statement issued Sunday night. "I am confident that tomorrow will 
bring the final chapter on the issue of IRA arms. I believe that Ireland 
stands on the cusp of a truly historic advance, and I hope that people 
across the island will respond positively in the time ahead."

The disarmament announcement, scheduled to be made at a news conference 
Monday given by John de Chastelain, the retired Canadian general who 
heads the weapons inspection commission, would be a historic 
breakthrough in the conflict between majority Protestants and minority 
Catholics that has killed more than 3,600 people since 1969. The British 
and Irish governments hailed as momentous the IRA's July announcement 
that it would disarm, but any such announcement is unlikely to 
completely convince the province's majority Protestant community that 
peace is at hand.

The disarmament, which officials said took place at secret locations in 
the Republic of Ireland, was also witnessed by two members of the 
clergy: the Rev. Harold Good, a former president of the Methodist Church 
in Ireland, and the Rev. Alex Reid, a Catholic priest. They are also 
expected to make a public statement Monday.

The Protestant side has cited the IRA's failure to disarm as the main 
obstacle to full implementation of the landmark 1998 Good Friday peace 
accords. British and Irish government officials hope that this step will 
enable a power-sharing government to be reestablished in Belfast, the 
Northern Ireland capital.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/25/AR2005092500537.html
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