Irish republicans accuse Bush of using visit to justify war

Deal fails as IRA refuses to say war is over
April 11, 2003 - London Times
Deal fails as IRA refuses to say war is over
By David Lister and Philip Webster

Sinn Fein's Bairbre de Brun and Gerry Adams. The party said some issues in the new blueprint "needed to be addressed"

TONY BLAIR and Bertie Ahern called for "clarity" from the IRA last night after it scuppered hopes of an historic breakthrough in the Northern Ireland peace process.

The embarrassed leaders admitted their disappointment at hastily arranged Downing Street talks after the IRA refused to play its part in a carefully choreographed sequence that included the visit of President Bush to Belfast this week.

The two were forced to call off a return visit to Belfast yesterday when the IRA statement that was expected to accompany their blueprint for restoring devolved government failed to come up to scratch.

Against all hopes it did not give the clear statement that the IRA's war with Britain was over. Mr Blair decided against going to Belfast and Mr Ahern flew to London instead.

"There are outstanding issues," Mr Blair said after talks in Downing Street. "The two Governments are in complete agreement, however, about the right way forward.

"We have to make sure that there is total clarity and certainty in respect of the outworkings of the Good Friday agreement. That has always been the case. We will be in contact with the parties overnight. We have to make sure that people understand the time is urgent and I hope even at this late stage any of the difficulties can be ironed out and dealt with."

The IRA still has five days to deliver a form of words and action strong enough to convince Mr Blair and David Trimble's Ulster Unionists that it is turning its back on violence. If it does not deliver by Tuesday, Mr Blair will almost certainly have to postpone elections to the Stormont Assembly scheduled for May 29. Stormont has been suspended since October after the exposure of an alleged IRA spy ring.

London and Dublin dismissed as inadequate a draft IRA statement, shown to Mr Ahern, in which the IRA failed to commit itself to end all paramilitary activity. The Times has been told that the statement did not promise further IRA disarmament and said merely that it would re-engage with General John de Chastelain's independent decommissioning body. The two Governments' blueprint, which has not been published, proposes a significant reduction in troop numbers in Northern Ireland, an amnesty for on-the-run republican terrorists, an independent body to monitor future breaches of the Good Friday agreement, and a commitment to devolve policing and justice powers to Stormont. Officials said that Sinn Fein's reservations centred on plans to "name and shame" future transgressors of the agreement and said the party wanted an undertaking from Unionists that they would not walk away from power-sharing. They also said it wanted speedier moves to wind down the British military presence and a clearer time-scale for devolving policing. Mitchel McLaughlin, the Sinn Fein chairman, said: "These are issues we feel needed to be addressed."

In an attempt to persuade Sinn Fein to agree to a deal, Jonathan Powell, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, travelled to Belfast on Wednesday. After late-night telephone conversations between Sinn Fein and officials in London and Dublin, civil servants decided yesterday that the talks "had gone backwards".

One official said: "I think there is a general sense that maybe Sinn Fein were holding out for a bit too much this time and they overplayed their hand."

A senior Unionist said that the proposed IRA statement "didn't even get into the ballpark". He added: "Here we had a situation where two Prime Ministers and an American President were all here on Tuesday and saying how marvellous everything was in Northern Ireland and it has all gone belly up."

The timetable

Unless a deal is agreed by Tuesday, elections to the Stormont Assembly on May 29 will almost certainly be postponed. Before David Trimble can agree to return to government with Sinn Fein, his Ulster Unionist Party must hold a meeting of its 860-strong ruling council to endorse such a move.

For such a meeting to take place before Stormont is formally dissolved on April 28, a tight timetable would have to be met.

April 15: Deadline for Ulster Unionist Party officers to decide in principle whether to call a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council.

April 19: By this date letters must be sent out to council members, giving them seven days' notice of a meeting.

April 26: Proposed date for council meeting to decide whether to return to government with republicans.

April 28: Stormont Assembly formally dissolved.

May 29: Elections to the Stormont Assembly.