Word: iras
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...wake of the horrific terrorist attacks on America, the Irish Republican Army (IRA) is now encountering a more resolute, determined opposition. This past Saturday, Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) leader David Trimble delivered an ultimatum to Sinn Fein, the IRA’s political wing. Trimble announced that unless the paramilitary group began “a credible process of decommissioning” its weapons in accordance with the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, the UUP would withdraw its three ministers from the executive and abandon Northern Ireland’s unstable alliance government...
...unionists and a majority of nationalists. It is unlikely that the moderate, pro-independence Social Democratic Labor Party (SDLP) would join with unionists to oust Sinn Fein, especially with party leader John Hume planning to retire in November. Therefore, the UUP is set to leave the coalition if the IRA does not relinquish its weapons...
Trimble should be applauded for his resolute approach to the peace process. Although unionists have regularly made concessions to Sinn Fein and the IRA since the ’98 accord, these moves have not been reciprocated. The agreement mandated that all terrorist weapons had to be decommissioned by June 2001, yet the IRA has made no tangible moves towards fulfilling this obligation. Indeed, the organization rescinded its offer of a weapons handover this past August, contending that it was negotiating with General John de Chastelain’s Independent International Commission on Decommissioning. Unionists were understandably upset over...
...IRA goes, a disarmament initiative would serve as a gesture of good will towards the United States and its upcoming war on terrorism. From a regional perspective, it would help Sinn Fein establish a greater degree of trust with Trimble’s party and also prevent a collapse of the volatile coalition government in Northern Ireland. Unfortunately, Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams has cautioned that “the politics of pressure against the IRA is counterproductive.” It remains to be seen whether or not disarmament is a legitimate possibility...
...Ardoyne has been a disaster for the Unionist politicians seeking international sympathy for their reluctance to press forward with the peace agreement while the IRA remains fully armed. And despite their limited scope, attacks on young children there threaten to plunge Northern Ireland back into a far deeper crisis as images of unmitigated hatred threaten to provoke inter-communal clashes at other flashpoints. And it's a crisis that will ultimately hurt the Loyalist cause. Indeed, there are signs of increasing impatience, or even distaste in Britain over the Loyalist's desire to keep Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom...