Good Friday deal in danger of collapse
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.SINN FEIN warned yesterday that the Northern Ireland peace process would be plunged into "crisis" if it was barred from Belfast's new government because the IRA had failed to decommission its weapons.
Senior republicans spoke out after the Irish Prime Minister, Bertie Ahern, appeared to back Unionist demands that Sinn Fein should not be allowed to take up seats on the proposed executive without progress in handing over arms. The Taioseach angered Sinn Fein when he said that membership of the province's 10-strong ruling body was "incompatible" with a lack of progress on decommissioning.
Mitchel McLaughlin, Sinn Fein chairman, said that moves to make disarmament a condition of his party's joining government would mean "tearing up the Good Friday Agreement". The Sinn Fein president, Gerry Adams, warned that "we are all of us in deep trouble" if the Irish and British governments accept the Unionist stance.
The continuing deadlock over decommissioning is certain to feature highly on the agenda when the Northern Ireland Assembly reconvenes today.
The assembly is due to discuss proposals from First Minister, David Trimble, and his deputy, Seamus Mallon, on the 10-member ruling executive and cross- border bodies. Under the Good Friday Agreement, wide-ranging powers are scheduled to be transferred from Westminster to the Stormont-based executive on 10 March.
While Unionists insist that Sinn Fein cannot take up its ministerial posts until there has been a start on an IRA weapons handover, republicans and nationalists point out that decommissioning was never a pre-condition for the establishment of the executive.
Mr Ahern reignited the issue in a newspaper interview. "It is not compatible with being a part of a government and part of an executive if there is not at least a commencement of decommissioning," he said.
The Irish premier was later forced to clarify his remarks to stress that he did not want to block Sinn Fein's membership of the executive.
Mr Adams told BBC1's On the Record there was little point in his trying to persuade the IRA to start decommissioning now. "I would be laughed out of the room. The IRA feels that it has taken its guns out of commission - they are not being used and it has maintained a cessation," he said.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments