UK News 21-10-2003 Northern Ireland Elections Called who: Northern Ireland Assembly what: Prepares for return to power sharing as election date is set where: BELFAST when: November 26th snippet: After weeks of top-level negotiations between Sinn Fein and the Ulster Unionists, the government has announced that elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly will be held on November 26th. "Northern Ireland`s devolved administration was suspended a year ago amid allegations of IRA intelligence-gathering in the Stormont government," recalls the BBC. Elections were then postponed on two occasions and allegations of an IRA spy ring at the heart of the Northern Ireland Office left the two sides at loggerheads. The Independent says "a rush of activity" is now expected. An IRA statement will be released at noon and Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble will make a statement shortly after. "General John de Chastelain, the head of the decommissioning body, is standing by, apparently to witness a substantial amount of arms being put beyond use," writes Ireland correspondent David McKittrick. "Last night there were reports that the general was being taken to IRA arms dumps in the Irish Republic to witness acts of decommissioning. He is expected to report that a large arsenal has been rendered unusable." "Observers believe that the Ulster Unionist Party`s only chance of winning an election is if the IRA agrees to go out of business," comments David Lister, in The Times, "and proves this by decommissioning a large chunk of its arsenal." [... more]

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