Last Decommissioning Report Published

The final report of the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) - prepared at the request of the British and Irish governments - has been published today.

This final report reflects on the IICD's 12 years in operation from September 1997 to the ending of the decommissioning amnesty in February 2010.

It provides an account of arms decommissioned by paramilitary organisations, a summary of key factors that enabled the Commission to deliver its objectives and highlights the lessons learnt as the special body which oversaw paramilitary decommissioning in Northern Ireland.

However, as it did not provide the British and Irish governments with a list of weapons, the report has been slammed by the Stormont First Minister, Peter Robinson, who has criticised the move saying people would want to see what the IICD had achieved.

Earlier, the NI Secretary of State, Owen Paterson said that the Commission's remit was merely to provide a mechanism, entirely independent of government, to execute the decommissioning of paramilitary arms in a manner that rendered them permanently inaccessible or unusable.

"The task was difficult and the Commissioners worked tirelessly to achieve it.

"There is no doubt that their independence and high level of commitment were crucial in gaining the confidence of paramilitary organisations.

"The resulting major acts of decommissioning they secured have contributed to making Northern Ireland a more peaceful, stable and inclusive society," he said, today.

No List

However, he continued: "Many [expected] an inventory to be included in the report," noting that the IICD had indeed failed to provide the British and Irish Governments with an inventory when they submitted their final report.

"This was rightly a decision taken independently by the Commission," commenting that the Commissioners say in their final report that "providing details now of what paramilitary arms have been put beyond use, could, in our opinion, encourage attacks on those groups which have taken risks for peace".

The report's authors said: "This is true of both loyalists and republican paramilitary groups.

"We would not wish, inadvertently, to discourage future decommissioning events by groups that are actively engaged today, nor to deter groups that have decommissioned their arms from handing over any arms that may subsequently come to light," they added.

The IICD has made arrangements for the safe retention of the records of decommissioned arms by the United States Department of State in Washington who will hold them securely.

Mr Paterson said: "As recent violent events revealed, there remain those who have rejected peace and politics and who want to drag Northern Ireland back to its troubled past".

"However, the majority of paramilitary organisations have decided to pursue their goals by political and democratic means exclusively.

"The IICD's final report is a valuable insight into how this has been achieved. Northern Ireland has made great strides towards stable, local democracy and I wish to place on record my immense gratitude to the Commission and their staff for their enormous contribution and longstanding commitment to their work."

Finally, he said, that as the IMC themselves note, whilst the Commission has completed its remit, the security position In Northern Ireland is far from ideal: "As the violence in a part of east Belfast recently revealed, there remain those who have rejected peace and politics and who actively work to undermine it.

"The Government remains committed to doing all it can to end violence and to enable all the people of Northern Ireland to live peacefully and safely as is their right.

"I am conscious that Parliament and the public will wish to be kept informed of progress on a regular basis.

"I therefore intend to make statements to Parliament every six months summarising the threat, in keeping with the timescales on which the IMC used to issue its reports," he concluded.

Alliance Justice Spokesperson Stewart Dickson has also paid tribute to their work: "In 2002, Alliance suggested using a ceasefire monitor and we played a key role in the creation of the IMC.

"It was crucial in cementing the need for an end to violence and their role was extremely important. I want to pay tribute to the organisation for all the excellent work they have done.

"It is vital that this good work in monitoring peace is maintained to ensure that there is the stable future that everyone in Northern Ireland needs," the MLA said.

The IICD played a very important role through their work in facilitating the decommissioning process and Northern Ireland also owes them a real debt of gratitude for this."

(BMcC/GK)