Posted by Tuars on February 04, 2000 at 14:41:05:
In Reply to: Re: SF and the Peace Process posted by g. on February 04, 2000 at 14:20:15:
Sinn Fein have always said that decommissioning
is not a precondition. The GFA also says that
decommissioning is not a precondition to parties
being in the executive but rather it is to be
brought about in the context of the total implementation
of the agreement. It is the UUP who continue to make
it a precondition and who stalled the setting up of
the executive for over a year and also refused to turn
up when it was first opened. That's hardly the behaviour
of democrats.
The bottom line is that decommissioning of weapons is
a total red-herring. The IRA could rearm in the morning
if they wanted. Also, you cannot erase the knowledge it
takes to make a bomb from someone's mind.
Anybody who looks logically at the issue can see this.
From the IRA perspective I imagine that the thinking goes
something like this: 'Republicans have always been denied
a democratic voice in Northern Ireland so the only option
is to resort to violence. Through their comptempt for the
executive and their constant appeals for the removal of
Sinn Fein from government the unionists have shown that
they still do not recogises the democratic mandate of
Republicans. Therefore, violence is the only way to go.'
I am starting to sound like an IRA apologist here which I
am not. I know too well the reality of what the IRA is.
I want to see decommissioning achieved. I think the best way
to do this is to get the political institutions working and
leave the decommissioning to the Decomissioning body.
Why should people be denied democracy because the logistics
of decommissioning silent weapons has not been fully worked
out. The IRA have appointed their representative and have
issued a statement saying they are supportive of the process.
At least the British government should have waited until the end of May as stated in the
GFA before they suspended the institutions. As it is, they are bowing
to the Unionist veto.