The British government is to reimpose direct rule from Westminster over Northern Ireland from midnight.
The announcement comes following the suspension of the Power-sharing Executive and the Stormont Assembly. The Northern Ireland Secretary, John Reid, said there had been a loss of trust on both sides which had proved impossible to overcome. In a joint statement, the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and the British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said that the two governments remain committed to the Good Friday Agreement. However, they said that the transition from violence to exclusively peaceful and democratic means must be brought to an unambiguous and definitive conclusion. US President George W Bush said that he supported what he called a difficult but necessary decision.
Two caretaker ministers Ian Pearson and Angela Smith have been drafted in to beef up John Reid's ministerial team.
The Northern Secretary confirmed the British government had reluctantly decided to suspend the Stormont assembly.
Speaking at a press conference, Mr Reid insisted that the Good Friday Agreement remains the template for political progress in Northern Ireland. He said that the suspension was to provide a breathing space, a change to gather strength. Mr Reid said that a lack of trust on both sides of the community was the cause of the current difficulties.
There is no authority, no legitimacy, no morality, no political basis for anyone in today's Northern Ireland having recourse to violence or to the means of violence or to paramilitary activity.
At Stormont, all the political parties were preparing for life without a political stage as well an instant one-third cut in their £43,000 annual salaries and the prospect of no salary at all from next January.
Reacting to the news, deputy leader of the UUP Reg Empey said that they were being ejected from office because the government had failed to deal with people who were not committed to peace. DUP leader Rev Ian Paisley said that both the British and southern governments must recognise that this agreement is over.
Throughout the stop start life of this experimental government, the SDLP remained loyal to the notion of consensus politics and leader Mark Durkan remains a supporter of middle ground politics.
Sinn Féin is the party most under pressure from the British and Irish governments and their leader Gerry Adams remained defiant.
People who decide who goes into government are the citizens.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 14 October 2002. The reporter is Tommie Gorman.
