Sir, - Martin McGuinness, MP, in his outline of Sinn Fein's position visa-vis the current impasse in the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement (The Irish Times, October 29th), shows some understanding of David Trimble's difficulties within his own constituency but nevertheless interprets Mr Trimble's demand for decommissioning as an attempt to rewrite the Agreement.
Mr McGuinness sees decommissioning just as the IRA sees it: as a non-starter. In spite of Good Friday, the IRA has stated that it will never decommission its arms. Why?
It is easy to understand how any member, outside of Sinn Fein, would not relish the prospect of sitting in the Assembly, or on an all-Ireland or cross-Irish Sea body, with people who in effect can be threatened or blackmailed by an armed group that even at this point appears to control them.
If Sinn Fein is sincere in its commitment to the Agreement, it should be as concerned as the rest of us are about the IRA's latest statement that it will never decommission.
But if the people who call themselves the IRA are worried that decommissioning means "surrender", can there not be some agreement on a formula of action to overcome this difficulty? For example, all paramilitary groups who have turned away from violence might agree, on a given date, to hand in just one weapon to a church or other dignitary of their own choice. This person would, of course, vouch that the weapon would be decommissioned.
There would be no surrender or loss of face in such an action. It would rather be an earnest that guns and bombs would not now or at any future time control the deliberation or the decisions of elected representatives. - Yours, etc., Justin Morahan,
Rathfarnham,
Dublin 16.