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IRA Announces an End to 35 Years of Armed Struggle

2005-7-29 4:17:05 CRIENGLISH.com

Anchor: The Irish Republican Army or IRA has declared an end to 35 years of armed struggle, and ordered its members to abandon their arms and pursue their political goals by "exclusively peaceful means". What message is the IRA trying to send? And what has been the response? Our UK correspondent Zhao Yang reports.

Reporter: The Irish Republican Army announced on Thursday that it would abandon its armed campaign and resume disarmament in a declaration designed to revive Northern Ireland's peace process.

The IRA said all of its clandestine units had been ordered to dump their arms and cease all activities, effective 1600gmt Thursday, but it would not formally disband.

In the statement, the IRA also appealed to Britain and Northern Ireland's Protestant majority to accept its new position as sufficient to resume negotiations on power-sharing, the core goal of the 1998 peace accord for this British territory.

After the IRA's annoucement, Gerry Adams, the President of the IRA's political wing, Sinn Fein, called for "unity and solidarity" amongst the broad Irish republican and nationalist community

He said the announcement presented an unparalleled challenge and opportunity for every nationalist and republican.

"I want to appeal as strongly as I can for unity and solidarity among Irish republicans and nationalists, on the island of Ireland and beyond and for the struggle in this new dispensation to be carried forward with energy and enthusiasm. "

British Prime Minister Tony Blair hailed the announcement as a step of "unparalleled magnitude" and said the disposal of IRA weapons must take place as soon as possible.

"I welcome the statement of the IRA that ends its campaign; I welcome its clarity; I welcome the recognition that the only route to political change lies in exclusively peaceful and democratic means."

However, Protestant leaders, warned in advance that they would wait several months to test whether the IRA's words proved true.

The IRA was supposed to have disarmed fully by mid-2000 as part of the Good Friday accord, but did not start the process until late 2001 and stopped in 2003.

Security experts say the IRA retains much of its arsenal hidden in underground bunkers in the neighbouring Republic of Ireland.

Zhao Yang, CRI news, London

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