Sinn Fein leader urges IRA action over arms
( 2001-10-23 09:58 ) (8 )

Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams announced on Monday that he had recommended a "ground-breaking move" on the arms issue.

The development on Monday evening came as speculation intensified that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) would move on decommissioning to save the power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.

It faces suspension later this week when the resignation of unionist ministers in the Northern Ireland Executive becomes irrevocable.

In his speech to republicans in Belfast, Adams appealed to all of the pro-Good Friday Agreement parties and the British and Irish governments to work together to ensure that crisis politics was gone.

Referring particularly to unionists, Adams said: "Our collective responsibility at this time is to settle our differences. I appeal to the leaders of unionism to join with us in doing that so that all sections of our people can go forward on the basis of equality."

"I would particularly appeal to the IRA and their families, and to the IRA support base, to stay together in comradeship." he added.

Earlier on Monday, in another part of a carefully constructed sequence of events, the Northern Ireland Secretary, John Reid, said that the government's response would not be "grudging or ungenerous" to real and actual decommissioning of weapons.

Reid issued an appeal to republican and loyalist groups on Monday to put their arms beyond use, to move the province into a new era.

The power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland faces collapse following the withdrawal of five unionist ministers last week.