'Wind up' arms body call

Only a handful of guns have been handed over

An Ulster Unionist minister has called for the body set up to oversee paramilitary arms decommissioning to be wound up by next June if the IRA has failed to move on disarmament.

Michael McGimpsey said that if the IRA broke a promise to put its arms "completely and verifiably beyond use", there would be no further role for the International Commission on Decommissioning.

The UUP went back into government with Sinn Fein after the IRA announced in May that it would allow a number of its arms dumps to be inspected.

It also agreed to re-establish contact with the weapons commission, headed by Canadian General John de Chastelain. However, that line of contact has been quiet since June.

To date, the overall cost of running the de Chastelain Commission has been more than £4m, but only a few loyalist guns have been handed over.

Michael McGimpsey: Arms body should be wound up

Mr McGimpsey does not believe that there should be a further extension of the de Chastelain mandate beyond June, the target set by the British Government for the implementation of all aspects of the Good Friday Agreement.

"Last May we got promises from the IRA out in public," said the senior Ulster Unionist.

"It was a public statement made to all of the people of Northern Ireland and I think if they break that then there is no further role, I believe, for the de Chastelain Commission.

"I think then that process, as a test and a guarantee of the agreement, has run its course."

Unionists have said they want monthly progress reports from the de Chastelain Commission.

'Expanded role'

They have also imposed sanctions on Sinn Fein ministers in the power-sharing executive in an attempt to force the IRA to "substantially re-engage" with the arms body.

But Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson has said the weapons issue should be left to the de Chastelain Commission.

However, he has not ruled out the possibility of an expanded role for arms inspectors Cyril Ramaphosa and Martti Ahtisaari.

He said he believed decommissioning would still take place.

"I believe that it will in time but it's not going to be done to order.

"It is not going to be done in a way that is prescribed by outsiders or by ministers."

Jeffrey Donaldson: Against replacing decommissioning with arms inspections

Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson, who wants Ulster Unionists to have a tougher line on decommissioning, said he would not support an expanded role for the arms inspectors.

"What I am concerned about is that decommissioning would be substituted by arms inspections - and that is not decommissioning." He said the idea that the IRA could hold on to its arms as long as they were subject to regular inspections was not in line with democracy.

"We need to remove their guns from society."