The chronology of events leading up to yesterday's historic announcement by the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning.
August 31, 1994
The IRA announces a "complete cessation of military operations".
January 26, 1996
Former US senator George Mitchell publishes a report which calls for a phasing-out of paramilitary weapons in Northern Ireland and a commitment from all sides entering talks to the principles of non-violence and democracy.
February 9, 1996
The IRA ceasefire ends with a bomb in the Docklands area of London which kills two people and causes millions of pounds of damage.
July 20, 1997
The IRA announces that it is reinstating its ceasefire.
April 10, 1998
The Belfast Agreement is signed on Good Friday. Among the contentious issues covered in the historic breakthrough is the decommissioning of weapons.
November 27, 1999
The Ulster Unionist Council backs proposals to go into a powersharing government with Sinn Féin on the basis that decommissioning by the IRA will follow.
December 2, 1999
A powersharing executive, with Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin as its education minister, meets for the first time after 20 months of continuous wrangling and other delays.
February 11, 2000
Just two months later, Northern Secretary Peter Mandelson signs an order suspending the Assembly after a failure to secure IRA disarmament.
May 30, 2000
Devolution is restored after Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble wins his party's backing to go back into government with Sinn Féin on a pledge from republicans that they will begin to completely and verifiably put weapons beyond use.
July 1, 2001
Mr Trimble resigns as First Minister over the continuing arms impasse.
August 6, 2001
Gen John de Chastelain, head of the international arms decommissioning body, says the IRA has put forward a disarmament plan.
August 10, 2001
With no sign of the IRA about to decommission and no hint that unionists will accept anything less, Northern Secretary Dr John Reid suspends devolution for 24 hours, resetting the clock for a deal by six weeks.
September 21, 2001
Dr Reid announces a second technical suspension, saying it will be the last.
October 23, 2001
In the wake of the September 11th terrorist attacks in America and the arrest in August of three suspected IRA men in Colombia, the IRA begins a process of disarmament.
April 8, 2002
The IRA announces it has put a second tranche of its arsenal beyond use.
October 14, 2002
Dr Reid announces the suspension of devolution and the reintroduction of direct rule following allegations that the IRA has been operating a spy ring at Stormont.
May 1, 2003
Prime Minister Tony Blair announces the postponement of the Assembly elections until the autumn because of a lack of clarity over the IRA's arms position and willingness to abandon its armed struggle.
October 29, 2003
Gen de Chastelain confirms the IRA has disposed of the largest consignment of weapons so far. Despite this, the rolling out of a peace process deal crashes when Mr Trimble refuses to take part because of a lack of detail about the IRA's latest act of disarmament.
December 8, 2004
Discussions aimed at achieving a previously unthinkable agreement between the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin collapse when the IRA refuses to give in to DUP demands that the decommissioning of its entire arsenal should be photographed.
July 28, 2005
The IRA announces it is to abandon its 36-year armed struggle and embrace politics. In a historic statement, all units were ordered to dump arms and assist in the development of a democratic process.
September 25, 2005
Gen de Chastelain presents a report on IRA decommissioning to the British and Irish governments and makes his findings public.