State papers: Decommissioning chairman John de Chastelain wanted to quit as IRA and other groups were reluctant to give up arms

By Grainne Ni Aodha, PA
Published 29th Dec 2023, 00:01 BST
Updated 29th Dec 2023, 07:35 BST
General John de Chastelain (left), head of the international decommissioning body for weapons, with Andrew Sens, speaking in Belfast. de Chastelain wanted to walk away from the decommissioning process in 2002 as they were four years at it and could not see themselves going any further.General John de Chastelain (left), head of the international decommissioning body for weapons, with Andrew Sens, speaking in Belfast. de Chastelain wanted to walk away from the decommissioning process in 2002 as they were four years at it and could not see themselves going any further.
General John de Chastelain (left), head of the international decommissioning body for weapons, with Andrew Sens, speaking in Belfast. de Chastelain wanted to walk away from the decommissioning process in 2002 as they were four years at it and could not see themselves going any further.
​The chairman of the body in charge of decommissioning as part of Northern Ireland's peace process considered standing down from the role in June 2001 after months of slow progress.

Documents released from Ireland's state files this year show a "downbeat" view of the pace of attempts to ensure the IRA and other paramilitary groups disabled their arms after the Good Friday Agreement.

Officials from Ireland's Department of Justice and from the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) met the three commissioners of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) on June 27.

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Despite six meetings with the IRA representative since March, IICD chairman John de Chastelain said that "we are no nearer actually decommissioning".

William Fittall of the NIO noted that, "more provocatively", the three commissioners were proposing to be released from their roles by September 24, on its fourth anniversary.

"John de Chastelain stressed that he and his colleagues did not want to be irresponsible or walk away from their commitments. But they had personal lives they needed to get on with."

He also expressed concern about the commission's credibility given "the impasse and growing unionist scepticism".

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"They thought that putting the date in the public domain might produce a helpful jolt to the system.

"Nevertheless, they were open to discussion on this. They understood that the governments might want the commission still to exist with a staff member there to answer the phones.

"But the present three commissioners did not want to remain in Belfast beyond September."

Mr Fittall noted that "their restlessness is something which we can exploit privately with Sinn Fein".

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A week prior, Irish diplomat Niall Holohan recounted a meeting he had in Belfast with Clifford Garrard, who was Mr de Chastelain's deputy.

Mr Garrard told Mr Holohan that the "waiting game" had been "an exasperating experience" for the commission.

"Garrard was of the view furthermore that nothing less than an act of putting arms completely and verifiably beyond use would be enough to save David Trimble's scalp on July 1," the note said.

It added: "If David Trimble proceeds with his threat to resign on July 1 and the Good Friday institutions were to collapse as a result, it might prove difficult for de Chastelain to justify his continued presence in Belfast."

The commission remained in place for four more years until it was verified that all IRA materiel was decommissioned.

Related topics:IRANorthern Ireland