John Major, 'IRA likely to disarm'
Former British Prime Minister John Major said today he believed the IRA was likely to disarm as secret talks preparing the ground for the process were due to begin. Mr Major, who firmly supported unionist calls for weapons decommissioning during his involvement in the peace process, said he felt the Provisionals would be prepared to destroy their guns and explosives themselves.
The first contact between General John de Chastelain's international disarmament commission and the unnamed go-between appointed two days ago by the IRA was expected to be made this weekend. General de Chastelain's office would not comment on what lay ahead but it was thought initial contacts would involve discussions on how much weaponry was in arms dumps, how it could be destroyed and how that could be verified.
Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness, installed as education minister in the new power-sharing government this week, said that normalising politics could help generate the kind of atmosphere which would make it possible for armed groups to decommission their weapons.
Meanwhile, there is growing speculation that the Ulster Freedom Fighters may soon appoint a representative to the De Chastelain body on arms decommissioning. John White of the Ulster Democratic Party, which has links with the paramilitaries, said he was optimistic they would make an appointment in the wake of the IRA's announcement that they were doing so. He said his party had been pressing the UFF to become involved in dialogue about the handing over of weapons.
