28.11.04
Guardian
IRA rift set to derail power sharing
Henry McDonald, Ireland editor
Sunday November 28, 2004
The Observer
The IRA is facing a fresh split as it prepares to disarm a huge arsenal to boost the chances of power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
A group of dissenters issued a statement to The Observer this weekend, criticising IRA and Sinn Fein leaders over their willingness to destroy the arms and explosives.
The disgruntled Provisionals - who claim to be from East Tyrone, South Down and Co Antrim - have also demanded publication of minutes from a 1997 IRA army convention that ended in division and the creation of the breakaway Real IRA. They claim these show that republican leaders promised IRA members there would never be any decommissioning.
The emergence of fresh dissent comes amid growing hopes of a historic deal between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that could result in the restoration of devolution. Critical to that deal are IRA moves to disarm huge amounts of arms and explosives, which will be independently verified by churchmen and photographed.
Ian Paisley's DUP is considering a joint Anglo-Irish government plan this weekend that would lead to IRA disarmament in return for the main unionist party joining an executive with Sinn Fein. One senior DUP member told The Observer that the party was '95 per cent of the way' to a comprehensive deal. Paisley's party will hold talks early this week with the Canadian general overseeing the disarmament of paramilitary weapons, John de Chastelain - a move welcomed by Sinn Fein's chairman MitchelMcLaughlin.
However, in a statement, the IRA rebels claimed republican leaders, including senior Sinn Fein figures, 'stood before countless IRA army council meetings, executive meetings, conventions and even low-level meetings with grass-roots, and told volunteers that the IRA would never surrender its weapons'.
The statement adds: 'Never in the centuries-old history of Irish Republicanism have IRA soldiers contemplated the humiliation of defeat or surrender by destroying its weapons at the behest of our enemy, the British.'
Referring to rifles, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns, ammunition and explosives, it reads: 'During the Eighties huge amounts of weapons were smuggled into Ireland for the purpose of intensifying the war in the six counties, mainland UK and in Europe but, unknown to the army's rank-and-file, some of our trusted leaders were secretly conducting negotiations with British officials without army authorisation.
'At no time did the Irish government make the surrender of weapons a condition for the establishment of all-party peace talks. The Libyan weapons are the ones republicans and Irish security sources believe will be put beyond use if the DUP-Sinn Fein deal is secured.'
However, serious doubts remain within the republican rank-and-file over such a move. The dissenters' statement included a demand for the publication of the 1997 Army Convention minutes.
'Full and accurate accounts of all Sinn Fein and IRA meetings will be disclosed in the near future for people to come to their own conclusions. The army [IRA] was deeply divided in the aftermath of the notorious 1997 convention, which resulted in the resignation of key military personnel. Today we stand on the brink of another serious split. Decommissioning is the surrender of modern-day IRA and we oppose it.'
The Observer has learnt that the opponents of decommissioning have held discussions with the founders of the Real IRA, who also control minutes from the 1997 convention. It is likely the dissident republican terror group will hand over the notes.
It is unclear exactly how much support the new group has. Crucially, the Belfast, Derry and South Armagh Brigades of the IRA are said to be solidly behind the leadership of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. It is not clear if any of the dissenters hold senior IRA positions, although one of those behind the statement claims to belong to the 'army executive', the second tier of leadership that runs the movement's day-to-day operations.
IRA rift set to derail power sharing
Henry McDonald, Ireland editor
Sunday November 28, 2004
The Observer
The IRA is facing a fresh split as it prepares to disarm a huge arsenal to boost the chances of power-sharing in Northern Ireland.
A group of dissenters issued a statement to The Observer this weekend, criticising IRA and Sinn Fein leaders over their willingness to destroy the arms and explosives.
The disgruntled Provisionals - who claim to be from East Tyrone, South Down and Co Antrim - have also demanded publication of minutes from a 1997 IRA army convention that ended in division and the creation of the breakaway Real IRA. They claim these show that republican leaders promised IRA members there would never be any decommissioning.
The emergence of fresh dissent comes amid growing hopes of a historic deal between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) that could result in the restoration of devolution. Critical to that deal are IRA moves to disarm huge amounts of arms and explosives, which will be independently verified by churchmen and photographed.
Ian Paisley's DUP is considering a joint Anglo-Irish government plan this weekend that would lead to IRA disarmament in return for the main unionist party joining an executive with Sinn Fein. One senior DUP member told The Observer that the party was '95 per cent of the way' to a comprehensive deal. Paisley's party will hold talks early this week with the Canadian general overseeing the disarmament of paramilitary weapons, John de Chastelain - a move welcomed by Sinn Fein's chairman MitchelMcLaughlin.
However, in a statement, the IRA rebels claimed republican leaders, including senior Sinn Fein figures, 'stood before countless IRA army council meetings, executive meetings, conventions and even low-level meetings with grass-roots, and told volunteers that the IRA would never surrender its weapons'.
The statement adds: 'Never in the centuries-old history of Irish Republicanism have IRA soldiers contemplated the humiliation of defeat or surrender by destroying its weapons at the behest of our enemy, the British.'
Referring to rifles, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns, ammunition and explosives, it reads: 'During the Eighties huge amounts of weapons were smuggled into Ireland for the purpose of intensifying the war in the six counties, mainland UK and in Europe but, unknown to the army's rank-and-file, some of our trusted leaders were secretly conducting negotiations with British officials without army authorisation.
'At no time did the Irish government make the surrender of weapons a condition for the establishment of all-party peace talks. The Libyan weapons are the ones republicans and Irish security sources believe will be put beyond use if the DUP-Sinn Fein deal is secured.'
However, serious doubts remain within the republican rank-and-file over such a move. The dissenters' statement included a demand for the publication of the 1997 Army Convention minutes.
'Full and accurate accounts of all Sinn Fein and IRA meetings will be disclosed in the near future for people to come to their own conclusions. The army [IRA] was deeply divided in the aftermath of the notorious 1997 convention, which resulted in the resignation of key military personnel. Today we stand on the brink of another serious split. Decommissioning is the surrender of modern-day IRA and we oppose it.'
The Observer has learnt that the opponents of decommissioning have held discussions with the founders of the Real IRA, who also control minutes from the 1997 convention. It is likely the dissident republican terror group will hand over the notes.
It is unclear exactly how much support the new group has. Crucially, the Belfast, Derry and South Armagh Brigades of the IRA are said to be solidly behind the leadership of Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness. It is not clear if any of the dissenters hold senior IRA positions, although one of those behind the statement claims to belong to the 'army executive', the second tier of leadership that runs the movement's day-to-day operations.
