UK News 23-10-2001 IRA Forced Into Imminent Disarmament who: Gerry Adams what: Publicly urges IRA to disarm where: BELFAST when: Yesterday snippet: "Gerry Adams signalled that the IRA is on the verge of a potentially historic move on arms," reports The Independent, "aimed at rescuing the Good Friday Agreement from oblivion." "Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams and chief negotiator Martin McGuinness revealed in simultaneous press conferences in Belfast and New York that they had urged the republican paramilitary group to disarm," explains The Guardian. In the next two days, the IRA and General John de Chastelain`s independent disarmament body are expected to announce that they "have destroyed or are about to destroy weapons in two secret arms dumps". "As part of the drama," says The Telegraph, "David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader, is expected to be re-elected as First Minister and his party`s ministers to resume their duties in the power-sharing executive." David Sharrock, Ireland correspondent for The Telegraph, credits pressure from the US for the IRA`s about-turn. The link between alleged IRA members and Colombian guerillas and the destruction of the World Trade Centre has changed Washington`s attitude to terrorists in general and Irish terrorists in particular. The result is that President Bush seems to have delivered "what Tony Blair and the Irish government have singularly failed to achieve". [... more]

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