Jim O'Keeffe
Question:95 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if and when he expects further decommissioning of arms in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31492/01]
Vol. 546 No. 3
95 Mr. J. O'Keeffe asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if and when he expects further decommissioning of arms in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31492/01]
At the start of August, following intensive discussions with the parties at Weston Park, the two Governments brought forward a package of proposals to help deliver the full and early implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
The package covered all four outstanding issues – policing, normalisation, stability of the institutions and decommissioning. It said that, while each of the issues is best addressed in its own terms rather than being seen as a precondition for progress on any other, the Agreement can only succeed if all parts of it are implemented together. We repeated our view that decommissioning is an indispensable part of that. In the period since, matters have advanced considerably.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has come into being with a policing board which includes representatives of both communities. Further steps have been taken on demilitarisation, including a start to the removal of those military installations identified at Weston Park.
Having overcome initial difficulties, on 6 November David Trimble and Mark Durkan were elected in the Assembly as First Minister and Deputy First Minister respectively. The institutions are fully back in operation. On 30 November the Taoiseach hosted summit level meetings of both the British-Irish Council and the North-South Ministerial Council in Dublin Castle.
As the House will be aware, on 23 October the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning reported to the Governments that it had witnessed an event, that it regarded as significant, in which the IRA put a quantity of weapons – arms, ammunition and explosives – completely beyond use. The commission also said that it would continue its contact with the IRA representative in the pursuit of its mandate. On 3 December the Secretary of State and I met with General de Chastelain when he briefed us on his ongoing work.
All of this represents substantial progress. It brings us closer than ever before to achieving full implementation of the Agreement. It now needs to be consolidated and advanced.