The drive to fully restore all the institutions of the Belfast Agreement is proceeding at an accelerated pace following the impetus provided by the IRA's decision to put some of its arsenals beyond use.
The British government announced yesterday that it had started dismantling four British army bases in south Armagh and Co Derry and pledged that, as the paramilitary threat diminishes, it will embark on a process of rolling demilitarisation.
Work began yesterday on dismantling observation towers on Sturgan and Camlough mountains in south Armagh. Similar demolition work is beginning today on an army structure at Newtownhamilton police station in south Armagh and on the Magherafelt army base in Co Derry.
The Northern Secretary Dr John Reid also promised further reductions in the number of British troops based in Northern Ireland, which is already at one of its lowest levels. The current strength is just over 13,000, compared to 19,500 at the time of the IRA ceasefire in 1994 and almost 30,000 in 1972 at the worst period of the troubles.
Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr David Trimble yesterday revoked the resignations of his three ministers, reinstating them in the Executive. The DUP is today expected to reappoint two ministers to the Executive, although as part of its policy of rotating ministers the personnel may be different this time.
The British government, in line with the proposals thrashed out at Weston Park in England earlier this year, is also committed to introducing changes to the criminal justice system shortly, and to proceed with police reform.
It will further introduce measures to ensure that Sinn FΘin or other ministers cannot be barred from attending North-South ministerial meetings, as happened when Mr Trimble was First Minister.
The RUC chief constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, verified that the IRA decision to put a "significant" amount of weapons beyond use was important and unprecedented.
"Anyone who knows the history of violent Irish republicanism knows that the decision to take this step is much more important and significant than the amount of material actually affected by the decision," he said.
"We are certainly the closest yet, in my estimation, to saying that the war waged by the Provisional IRA is over," he added.
The two independent arms inspectors, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa and Mr Martti Ahtisaari, yesterday resigned their positions, stating that as the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning and the IRA were now dealing with the arms issue, they were no longer required in the process.
This prompted speculation that if they felt comfortable leaving the process that the two or three dumps they had already examined were now fully decommissioned.
But there are still political obstacles on the horizon. Mr Trimble will seek, and is likely to receive, from his party's 110-member ruling executive on Saturday, endorsement of his wish to fully restore devolution and to be returned as First Minister, alongside SDLP leader designate Mr Mark Durkan as Deputy First Minister.
It was formally announced yesterday that Mr Seamus Mallon would not be seeking this position.
A special meeting of the Assembly could be called for Friday week for the election of First and Deputy First Minister but it was clear last night that Mr Trimble will have difficulty winning the requisite 30 votes to be reinstated.
Dissident Ulster Unionist MLA Mr Peter Weir told The Irish Times it was "highly unlikely" that he could support Mr Trimble for the post. He needed clarity and certainty that the IRA was embarking on a process that would lead to full decommissioning. Short of that, he would almost certainly vote against Mr Trimble.
