Arms move prompts ministers' return

Work begins on dismantling of security posts

Three Ulster Unionist Party ministers who resigned from the Stormont Executive are returning to work after the IRA's decision to put some arms beyond use.

Their move comes as army engineers began dismantling two more military installations in Magherafelt and Newtownhamilton.

Demolition work on two other military installations began on Wednesday.

But RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan warned that although the IRA had come closer than ever before, he could not say the "war is over".

Anyone who knows the history of violent Irish republicanism will realise how significant this decision was

Sir Ronnie Flanagan
RUC chief constable

Enterprise Minister Sir Reg Empey, Culture Minister Michael McGimpsey and Environment Minister Sam Foster were reinstated by UUP leader David Trimble on Wednesday.

They walked out of the power-sharing executive a week ago over the failure of the IRA to disarm.

Their return follows confirmation by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) that the IRA had honoured a commitment to start putting its weapons beyond use.

The Democratic Unionist Party is expected to meet the International Decommissioning Body on Thursday afternoon.

Speaker of the Assembly Lord Alderdice confirmed on Thursday that the DUP's Peter Robinson and Nigel Dodds had been sworn in as ministers of the executive.

Mr Robinson replaces Gregory Campbell as regional development minister and Mr Dodds takes over the social development portfolio from Maurice Morrow.

However, Michael McGimpsey attacked the DUP over taking up executive seats.

"Once again the DUP are crawling into ministerial office," he said.

"Having done nothing to bring about either devolution or decommissioning, they are now enjoying the fruits of the UUP's hard work."

UUP leader David Trimble is to put his name forward in the assembly seeking his old job as first minister if he gets the backing of his party's 110-member executive on Saturday.

Click here for a map of the key area

Work began on Wednesday on the demolition of two mountaintop lookout posts in Camlough in the republican heartland of south Armagh.

The dismantling of a super-sangar (lookout post) at neighbouring Newtownhamilton police station and an army base at Magherafelt, County Londonderry, began on Thursday.

Major Alasdair Balgarnie said: "Initially we are going to take down the sangar and the tower and that will take about 10 days.

"We will have to dig out all the foundations and structures right down to earth and bare rock."

The progress in the peace process led Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid to pledge a progressive rolling programme of "security normalisation", reducing troop numbers from 13,000 and military installations as the paramilitary threat diminished.

John Reid: Outlined security cuts

Demilitarisation was a key demand from Sinn Fein during discussions before the breakthrough.

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness said on Thursday that there needed to be more demilitarisation.

Mr McGuinness said he hoped the government would fulfill its obligations under the Good Friday Agreement in terms of further demilitarisation, policing and the stability of the institutions.

He said Sinn Fein was convinced that all republican and British arms could be taken out of Irish politics.

Sir Ronnie Flanagan conceded that he did not know exactly how many weapons had been decommissioned but insisted the IRA's decision was historic.

He told BBC Two's Newsnight programme: "That decision is of disproportionate significance to the quantities involved".

The government is likely to press ahead with police reform and a review of criminal justice.

Dr Reid said the IRA's move was "unprecedented and genuinely historic - it takes the peace process onto a new political level".

Click here to return