The Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson suggested yesterday that he may be willing to set out a timescale for demilitarisation of the province.
The move, the first sign that the Northern Ireland peace process could be rescued, along with a commitment to publish legislation on reform of the Royal Ulster Constabulary by Easter, may help drag the peace process back on to the rails following the suspension nine days ago of the power sharing Assembly. The British government suspended the assembly over the lack of firm IRA commitment to disarm and the IRA withdrew co-operation from the decommissioning process.
In an interview with The Observer, Mandelson sought to calm Republican anger saying he would be shortly publishing a review of criminal justice in Northern Ireland. He said: 'Its aim will be to ensure that the whole community, both unionist and nationalist traditions, can identify with the criminal justice system and have a sense of ownership of it. I want the appearance and feel of the system to make nationalists feel at ease.'
He also promised a Bill of Rights drawn up by the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission by the end of the year. Mandelson's remarks will be studied with care by nationalists as they decide whether to reopen talks with the government in the wake of Mandelson's decision to suspend the assembly.
Some Sinn Fein sources have said the move has caused 'convulsions' inside the IRA, but Mandelson has been advised by the security services there is no sign the IRA ceasefire will break.
The IRA has been pressing for a scaling down of the British army presence and the removal of watchtowers along the borders.
In carefully chosen words, Mandelson said: 'I do not rule out attaching timeframes to demilitarisation, but that has to be in the context of the threat going away and politics working.
'The idea that the British government wants the military to hang in there and talk tough irrespective of the political process, is nonsense. There is no pressure to keep more battalions permanently based in Northern Ireland than are strictly needed for low-key patrolling purposes.'
Sinn Fein was bitterly disappointed that the security review announced just before December did not set out a timetable for troop withdrawals.
Mandelson may be hoping that further large-scale prisoner releases could draw Sinn Fein back into an effort to get a clearer commitment from the IRA on disarmament.
The Secretary of State said that releases would be kept in review alongside the ceasefires and progress on decommissioning. 'We still plan to close the Maze prison by the end of the year,' he said.
Commenting on criticism of his handling of the crisis, the Northern Ireland Secretary said he understood Republican and Nationalist anger at losing their government role.
