The IRA has said that it is committed to resolving the arms issue. In a statement marking the New Year, the organisation said that the crisis in the peace process would not be resolved until the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair took political responsibility for it. The IRA said that it had taken, what it described as, unprecedented initiatives to establish a lasting peace. It concluded that the British Government had failed to seize the opportunities generated by these initiatives.
The statement made no reference to General John de Chastelain's call before Christmas for a re-engagement with the arms decommissioning body, with which the IRA has had no contact since last June. Arms inspectors have twice examined secret IRA weapons dumps. The statement added to the increasing pressure on London and Dublin to find a formula to which all sides can agree and at the same time secure the future of the Good Friday Agreement.
Today the Ulster Unionist MP, Jeffrey Donaldson, attacked the claims by the IRA that the onus is on the British government to resolve the arms issue. He added it was now up to the paramilitary organisation to break the deadlock. Irish and British officials are due to hold more talks to try to end the deadlock on guns, policing and demilitarisation.
A crucial meeting of the Ulster Council is expected to take place before the end of this month to debate the issue. Mr Donaldson favours withdrawing from power-sharing government with Sinn Fein. Without IRA disarmament, David Trimble is likely to be ordered by his party's ruling council to pull out of Stormont. This would result in a second suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
