Ebrington British Army barracks in Derry is to close, Sir Ronnie Flanagan announced today. The Chief Constable of the North's Police Service said that the 500 troops are to be moved back to England. He also said that the Glassdrumman watchtower in South Armagh is to be dismantled.
The Sinn Féin Chairman, Mitchell McLaughlin, welcomed the closures as a step in the right direction. However, he said that the British government's approach to demilitarisation was too slow. The SDLP also welcomed the closures.
Meanwhile, the Northern Secretary has called on all political parties in the North to support the police service in its efforts to arrest paramilitary killers. Dr John Reid insisted that police were doing everything possible to arrest and charge those behind the killings. He said that the full backing of every political party was vital in aiding their efforts.
The Sinn Féin Assembly member for North Belfast, Gerry Kelly, rejected Dr Reid's appeal, saying his constituents would not support the police until all the reforms promised by the Patten report were introduced.
In a separate development, David Trimble has condemned British government plans to grant amnesties to Republicans who are technically on the run. The amnesty would apply to those whose offences were committed before the Good Friday Agreement was signed.
The two governments had described the proposals as a "natural development" of the early release scheme under the Agreement. The Ulster Unionist leader said today that it would be "outrageous and morally unacceptable to allow IRA exiles to return while doing nothing for those forced out of Northern Ireland by the IRA".
Mr Trimble was speaking following talks at Downing Street this morning with Tony Blair. He said that he had made clear to the British prime minister that there would be "a negative impact on public confidence" if he proceeded with the amnesties.
A Downing Street spokesman later told RTÉ News that it could be some time before the amnesties were introduced and that British officials were still "working through the cases case by case".
He said: "It's a complex issue and you need to find out what you're dealing with." The proposals had been put forward in a communiqué issued by the two governments following talks between the Taoiseach, Mr Blair and the Northern parties at Weston Park in Shropshire last summer.
