The Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams, has said he believes the IRA will not continue its talks with the Decommissioning Body if the Northern Assembly collapses or is suspended. In a radio interview earlier today Mr Adams said it would be an awful disappointment if the assembly collapses because of a unionist walkout.
First Minister David Trimble tonight issued a hard-line message, demanding that the IRA, and other terrorist groupings, not only disarm but disband completely. He told his UUP Upper Bann constituency meeting in Banbridge, County Down that the people of this island did not vote for an armed peace. Real peace and stability he said could only exist if terrorist weapons were destroyed and their organisations disbanded. He added that it was time for the IRA, UVF, UFF and all other terrorist groups to disarm and disband.
Mr Trimble claimed his party had demonstrated the highest standards of political integrity and honour but warned that the unionist community was being stretched to and beyond limit after limit.
Former Taoiseach, Albert Reynolds, has said he believes there will be no IRA weapons handover but he expected the peace process to survive the looming difficulties. Mr Reynolds, who produced the Framework document with Tory ex-prime minister John Major in December 1993, said he did not believe there would be a handover of arms to the security forces either north or south but he said some modus operandi of putting the guns out of use would be found to the satisfaction of John de Chastelain
