Power-sharing seems a long way off

Blair: IRA activity preventing progress

Blair: IRA activity preventing progress

Tony Blair and Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern have warned the Irish Republican Army to dismantle its criminal apparatus if power sharing is ever to return to Northern Ireland.

Following a debriefing in Downing Street by Northern Ireland chief constable Hugh Orde and Gardai commissioner Noel Conroy on developments in finding the perpetrators of the raid, the two leaders said the IRA’s criminal and paramilitary activity was the “sole” obstacle to a lasting peace settlement in the province.

Both London and Dublin have accused the IRA of orchestrating the £26.5 million Northern Bank raid in December in Belfast.

The Provisional IRA claims it had nothing to do with the heist; a view Sinn Fein accepts.

“The obstacle now to a lasting and durable settlement in Northern Ireland is the continuing paramilitary activity and criminal activity of the IRA,” Mr Blair told journalists.

“It has got to stop. It has got to stop in its entirety. There cannot be any compromise with that.

“If it is given up the process can move forward on an inclusive basis.”

Mr Ahern said: “The reality of the situation is that until we have got an end to criminality we cannot win the trust and confidence of the collective parties to move forward.”

Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams said his party was committed to making the peace process work.

“But as the taoiseach and the British Prime Minister know we cannot do this on our own.”

SDLP leader Mark Durkan also held talks with Mr Blair on Tuesday.

Mr Durkan said: “Our strong message to him was that there could be no more tolerance of any activity from any group, loyalist or republican, at any time.

“We argued with him that this was vital to stop the mafia culture spreading throughout our society.”

After its meeting with Northern Ireland Secretary Paul Murphy, the Democratic Unionist party called for sanctions to be imposed against Sinn Fein.

DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson spoke of “massive disillusionment” in the unionist community over the lack of action against Sinn Fein.

A Sinn Fein delegation led by chief negotiator Martin McGuinness MP will meet Mr Murphy on Wednesday morning at Hillsborough Castle.

Ahead of the meeting, South Down MLA Caitriona Ruane said the delegation would be telling Mr Murphy “in very clear terms” that “as a British politician with no mandate either to be in Ireland or from the Irish people he is in no position to discriminate against the majority of nationalists in the six counties through sanctions against Sinn Fein.”