Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 May 2004
76 Mr. McGinley asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs his views on the report of the Independent Monitoring Commission regarding continuing paramilitary activity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14499/04]
View answerThe Government has accepted the conclusions and recommendations of the report of the Independent Monitoring Commission, IMC, on paramilitary activity, which was published on 20 April, and painted a disturbing picture in relation to paramilitary activity and criminality.
In its acceptance of the report, the Government acknowledged the constructive contributions that have been made by various parties in advancing the peace process to this point. However, six years after the Good Friday Agreement, it is now clear what must be done if stable politics and a peaceful society in Northern Ireland are to be assured. The transition to exclusively peaceful and democratic means must be definitively completed and must happen as soon as possible.
The people of Northern Ireland want a restoration of the devolved arrangements of the Good Friday Agreement. Everyone, including the two Governments and all the political parties in Northern Ireland, has a part to play in this but in order to make real progress it is essential that the issues raised in the IMC report are addressed before the commission publishes its next report on paramilitary activity in the autumn.
