IRA retracts arms offer

A man walks past an IRA mural in East Belfast

DUBLIN, Ireland (CNN) -- The Irish Republican Army has withdrawn its offer to put its weapons "beyond use," dealing another blow to the fragile Northern Ireland peace agreement.

Its decision came in an official statement released to the Irish media in Dublin on Tuesday morning.

UK Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid said the decision will be regarded as a disappointment and would play into the hands of sceptics who doubted the IRA's intentions.

The paramilitary group and the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning, led by Canadian Gen. John de Chastelain, announced last week they had agreed on a confidential means for decommissioning.

But the plan was rejected by David Trimble's Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) because it did not specify a timetable.

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The IRA's statement said the offer to put its arms completely and verifiably beyond use "was an unprecedented development which involved a very difficult decision by us, and problems for our organisation."

It said the decision "was aimed at enhancing the peace process," but that its rejection by the UUP leadership and "subsequent actions of the British government, including their failure to fulfil their commitments," were unacceptable.

“The conditions therefore do not exist for progressing our proposition. We are withdrawing our proposal," it said.

Reid, giving the official UK government reaction at a Belfast news conference, said the IRA "had promised to put arms beyond use in a manner that inspired public confidence."

He added: "I'm afraid that withdrawing from an agreement -- which took two years to arrive at -- only five days after republicans declared it as 'historic' can only play into the hands of sceptics who have always doubted their intentions.

"It will, I believe, disappoint many people. I understand that (the IRA) has difficulties with their people. We all have difficulties.

"But today's announcement does not fundamentally change the process. We will continue to work toward the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

"Decommissioning remains an iindispensablepart of the agreement and ... I will not be deterred from proceeding with those parts of the agreement -- like creating a new police service and the renewal of the criminal justice system -- which are of benefit to all the people of Northern Ireland."

Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern expressed "disappointment" and called for the parties to resolve the difficulties.

He said: "Naturally, I am disappointed by the IRA statement. Putting arms beyond use is an indispensable part of implementing the Good Friday Agreement.

"The two governments will be continuing with our efforts to secure the full implementation of the agreement on the basis of the package of proposals put to the parties on August 1.

"At this time, I urge all the parties to use the period ahead to resolve outstanding difficulties and not to lose sight of their pledge, given in the agreement, to work to ensure the success of each and every one of the arrangements established under the agreement."

A new round of talks involving all the parties signed up to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, which led to the formation of a Northern Ireland Assembly, are due to get under way in an attempt to settle disputes over disarmament, demilitarisation and policing.

Trimble resigned as the assembly's first minister in protest at the refusal by the IRA to start emptying their secret arms dumps.

Unionists said the IRA's plan to put their guns completely and verifiably beyond use did not go far enough.

There were claims in Belfast on Tuesday that the arrest of three republicans in Colombia confirmed unionists' doubts about the IRA's commitment to the peace process.

Peter Robinson, deputy leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, said the UK government must now withdraw any concessions it had offered in policing and demilitarisation.

"The only purpose of the IRA's activity is to extract concessions from the government. That's why they made a tactical cessation of violence,” he told the UK Press Association.

"They have no intention of completing verifiable decommissioning. It is simply a case of using words to gain more from the government.

"Tony Blair must now take everything off the table that has been offered to the IRA."