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Arms, parades raise N. Irish heat

Trimble
Trimble quit as first minister at midnight on Saturday  


BELFAST, Northern Ireland -- Tensions are rising in Northern Ireland after IRA guerrillas failed to disarm and authorities banned a Protestant parade from entering a Roman Catholic flashpoint area.

David Trimble said his decision to resigned on Sunday as Northern Ireland's First Minister had been vindicated by an independent body's report that confirmed the Irish Republican Army had yet to scrap its guns and bombs.

The Parades Commission then said it was barring the Protestant Orange Order from marching through a Catholic area at Drumcree, near the town of Portadown, on Sunday, because it feared violence could erupt. Security is now being stepped up in the area.

Parades by Orange Order members commemorate Protestant battlefield victories in Northern Ireland and are hugely unpopular with Roman Catholics.

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"The decision is set against a background of continuing local community tension and recognises the real possibility of further damage to community relations and of public disorder should the parade be allowed on its full route," Reuters reported the Parades Commission as saying.

Violence surrounding similar bans on the Orangemen in previous years has sparked tension across Northern Ireland and thrown a cloud over politicians' efforts to turn the 1998 Good Friday Agreement into a lasting reality.

Trimble, who is the Ulster Unionist Party leader and member of the parliament for Drumcree and Portadown, said: "Can I say how disappointed I am at the decision of the Parades Commission."

The Orangemen say the Garvaghy Road is the traditional route of the parade, which celebrates their British heritage. But Catholics say it is an insulting display of Protestant triumphalism.

'Lengthy meetings'

Earlier, a report by the commission headed by Sir John de Chastelain said both loyalist and republican paramilitary groups had failed to surrender arms -- with each group providing different reasons for holding on to their weapons.

The commission says that in its talks with the IRA, the republican paramilitary group failed to spell out how it plans to put its weapons "beyond use."

The commission confirmed it had asked the IRA "in a number of lengthy meetings since March" to provide it with information of how it intends to handover weapons.

The report said: "In each of our meetings we have been assured of the IRA's commitment to put its arms beyond use, completely and verifiably but only in the context of its statement of May 6, 2000.

"Taken in conjunction with the continued maintenance of the July 1997 ceasefire and the opening of some IRA arms dumps to inspections by the International Inspectorate, we believe that this conditional commitment is made in good faith.

"We have, however, been unable to ascertain how the IRA will put its arms beyond use, except for the assurance that it will be complete and verifiable.

"The IRA has taken note of our need for this information but until we know what method will be used, we cannot judge if it meets our remit."

The commission said the IRA's representative had expressed an eagerness to continue with his engagement with the commission.

The Ulster Volunteer Force said it would not consider disarming until it knew what the IRA's plans were and had a declaration that the Provisionals' war was over.

Northern Ireland Secretary Dr. John Reid admitted the UK government faced "a serious and sombre" situation in Northern Ireland.

Reid said both Trimble and the SDLP's Seamus Mallon, who automatically ceased to hold office as Deputy First Minister, had offered "distinguished leadership."

Addressing the House of Commons, Reid acknowledged that there was now "little time left to resolve the difficulties and obstacles" remaining.

"We face a serious and sombre situation in Northern Ireland," he admitted. "But I think it is right to recall the progress we have already made."

The United States said it regretted David Trimble's resignation as Northern Ireland's first minister, Reuters reported.

It mixed a message of encouragement to Trimble, whose decision took the province into uncharted political waters, not to walk away from his role as supporter of the peace process, with a call on armed groups to give up their guns.

"The United States regrets the resignation of David Trimble," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told a news briefing.

Asked if he meant to imply any criticism, he said, "We're more than very sorry that he resigned, you might say."

He added: "We want to see him continue to work in this process. We're glad that he said he will. And we regret the fact that he resigned. I think I just have to leave it at that for the moment."

But he said disarmament by the IRA and its "loyalist" pro-British enemies -- or decommissioning as it is known -- had to be addressed. "Guns have no part to play in democratic politics. The agreement calls for decommissioning."





RELATED STORIES:
RELATED SITES:
• The Northern Ireland Executive
• British Government
• Ulster Unionist Party
• Sinn Fein
• Irish Government
• Northern Ireland Office
• Northern Ireland Parades Commission

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