New IRA move on weapons due 'by end of week'

A fresh move on IRA weapons is expected before Easter, Northern Ireland's Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, indicated yesterday.

Sir Ronnie said be believed an act of decommissioning was imminent, and his assertion was not contradicted by republicans, who have in the past discouraged such speculation.

The move is seen as the republican movement clearing the decks by removing the arms issue from the political arena both in Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

It is likely to take a similar form to the first decommissioning move last autumn. At that time, the Canadian General John de Chastelain announced that he had witnessed the IRA putting material beyond use. The initiative was given a cool reception by Unionist politicians, partly because of the lack of information on exactly what had been decommissioned and how.

A second move may improve Sinn Fein's image in the Republic, where a general election is expected in May. The party has been making a strong showing in recent opinion polls, and is keen to win more seats in the Dail. It would also defuse any Unionist attempt to reinstate the arms question as a central issue in Northern Ireland.

David Trimble, the Ulster Unionist leader and First Minister of Northern Ireland, recently declared that a second act of decommissioning was needed. He warned: "There must be real progress soon, or we confront republicans again. If necessary I will act."

The first decommissioning move caused some tremors within the IRA and Sinn Fein, but republican nerves seem to have been soothed. The general sense is that republicans are faring well politically, while Unionism is in disarray. This appears to have emboldened republicans to the extent that they are prepared to act just before Easter, when supporters gather at rallies across Ireland. They would hardly have opted for such timing if they were worried about shows of dissent.

Sir Ronnie said he believed decommissioning was a real possibility: "We are continuing to make positive progress and I think that is likely to happen, and it will be yet another step along that road to normality."