IMC report - political reaction
PUBLIC representatives have been reacting to the report by the Independent Monitoring Commission on the status of the IRA army council.
Northern Ireland Secretary of State - Shaun Woodward
"This ground breaking report by the IMC makes clear that the Army Council is now redundant.
"Crucially the IMC concludes that 'PIRA has completely relinquished the leadership and other structures appropriate to a time of armed conflict'.
"In the last few years we have seen huge progress in the political process. Today's Report is a major event in this process. PIRA should now not just be judged by what it said it would do, but today by what the IMC tells us it has done."
UUP deputy leader - Danny Kennedy
"Today's IMC Report stands in a long line of such reports – each of which progressively indicated the Provisional IRA being consigned to the history books.
"The Ulster Unionist Party's original decision to push for the creation of the IMC – in the face of criticism from the DUP – has been vindicated. Without the IMC in place, we would have no watchdog to report on the Republican movement's commitment to abide by the normal rules of democratic politics.
"Today's report does give grounds for believing that the Provisional IRA has permanently abandoned the ways of violence and that its terrorist structures and organisations have, in the words of the report, 'ceased to function'.
"In other words, three decades of so-called 'armed struggle', during which PIRA brought death, misery, suffering and division to the streets of Northern Ireland, have come to this – 'PIRA has completely relinquished the leadership and other structures appropriate to a time of conflict'."
TUV leader - Jim Allister
"Today's IMC Report, despite all its Jesuitical verbiage, is unable to say the IRA Army Council is gone – in spite of the fact that the DUP told us it would have to go before they entered government with their political wing.
"The IMC's pitiful whitewashing comments, following the brutal murder of Paul Quinn, demonstrated to all who were interested that it had become yet another pawn of the political process. Today's effort confirms its compliant role.
"Only when the gangsters of militant republicanism have been hunted down and brought to justice will the people of Northern Ireland know that a truly just peace has been obtained."
Alliance Party Justice spokesperson - Stephen Farry
"This report delivers further reassurance that the IRA continues to pose no threat to the peace process and to wider society. There is now a step-change in the clarification that the Army Council is no longer operating or serving any purpose.
"These conclusions should give confidence to further efforts to stabilise our political structures.
"At the same time, we must not lose sight of the overarching imperative of the removal of all paramilitary organisations and structures from our society. They are not consistent with a normal, democratic society, which operates to the rule of law and respects human rights."
SDLP leader - Mark Durkan
"This IMC report confirms that the vestigial existence of an IRA Army Council is not a latent threat to peace or democracy.
"Such a redundant entity should not be used as an excuse to prevent progress to the completion of devolution. They are neither a force of arms nor a source of threat.
"The real and active threat to police personnel, to peace and democracy, is coming from so called dissident republicans."
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Weather for Belfast
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
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