The British and Irish governments will be hoping for a measured Northern political response to a report into the status of the IRA and other paramilitary groups that is due to be published today.
Northern Secretary Theresa Villiers is expected to disclose details of the report in the House of Commons. How unionists in particular react to the report could determine whether there is a realistic prospect of the current Stormont talks succeeding.
“The governments will be hoping the report is judged in the round rather than the parties taking out specific parts of the report in isolation, and reacting to those parts,” said one senior talks source last night.
DUP leader Peter Robinson indicated yesterday that were the report to be relatively benign, an opportunity could be created to break the political deadlock.
He also indicated that, based on the report, the DUP could end its boycott of the Northern Executive. The report, commissioned by Ms Villiers last month, was written by Liberal Democrat peer Lord Carlile, former senior Northern Ireland civil servant Rosalie Flanagan and lawyer Stephen Shaw.
They were asked to review PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton’s assessment that the IRA still exists and that some of its members were implicated in the murder of Belfast republican Kevin McGuigan in August.
A man (47) was arrested in west Belfast last night in connection with the killing of Mr McGuigan.
Crisis
They were more broadly reporting on the status of all paramilitary groups based on information supplied by the PSNI and MI5 and, it is understood, An Garda Síochána.
The murder of Mr McGuigan triggered a political crisis over the future of the Northern Executive and Assembly. There would be surprise if the panel’s report is substantially different to Mr Hamilton’s assessment.
Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams said last night that “Sinn Féin will not tolerate any undermining of the rights of citizens who vote for Sinn Féin.”
