IRA 'army council' never went away

Northern Ireland's First Minister Peter Robinson has said the IRA's so-called army council must be disbanded.

The Democrat Unionist Party (DUP) leader said he accepted assurances from the Chief Constable that the IRA leadership was not directing terrorism, but must be removed.

"There is no purpose for having a structure if you do not intend to act in a paramilitary fashion, so the requirement from the people of Northern Ireland is for the army council and any other part of the IRA's structure to be completely disbanded," he said.

"I accept what the Chief Constable says, that they are not meeting for any terrorist purpose, but we require the removal of the IRA's army council and we have always made that clear."

No surprise

Those comments were not made after Tuesday's publication of the paramilitary assessment report by the Secretary of State Theresa Villiers.

They were made on 3 September 2008, after Mr Robinson and a delegation of senior DUP members met former Chief Constable Sir Hugh Orde at police headquarters in east Belfast.

The comments clearly demonstrate that the fact that the army council is still operating came as no surprise to the DUP.

The IRA never issued a statement saying its leadership was disbanding, so the assessment published on Tuesday simply reflects what many have known or suspected for many years.

A government commissioned report into paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland concluded that the IRA's so-called army council still exists but has a "wholly political focus"

It also suggests that the body that directed the IRA's campaign of violence is now directing Sinn Féin's strategy.

Ms Villiers told the House of Commons that the assessment states that "PIRA members believe that PAC (Provisional Army Council) oversees both PIRA and Sinn Féin with an overarching strategy."

She said the police and MI5 believe "this has a wholly political focus."

'Hierarchies'

The assessment also reveals that the IRA has retained some "departments" and some "regional command structures".

It even suggests that the continued existence of these leadership structures, and those of the loyalist paramilitary groups the Ulster Defence Association (UDA) and Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), was necessary for the organisations to persuade their members to follow a political path.

"Much of the leaderships' ability to influence, restrain and manage the expectations of its members draws on the authority conferred through these hierarchies," it says.

The report mirrors Sir Hugh Orde's assurance to the DUP seven years ago that the IRA army council is not involved in directing terrorism.

It concludes that: "The PIRA of the Troubles era is well beyond recall.

"It is our firm assessment that PIRA's leadership remains committed to the peace process and its aim of achieving a united Ireland by political means.

"The group is not involved in targeting or conducting terrorist attacks against the state or its representatives."

Suspicion

Like the confirmation of the continued existence of the army council, the conclusion that members of the Provisional IRA still have access to some weapons is not a new revelation.

While the organisation was supposed to have completed decommissioning its weapons 10 years ago, there was always a strong suspicion that some units retained guns and possibly some explosives.

The paramilitary watchdog, the Independent Monitoring Commission, had previously stated that some quantities of weaponry under the control of the IRA, as well as the UDA and UVF, may not haven been decommissioned.

On the murder of Kevin McGuigan in east Belfast in August, the report says it judges the assessment put forward by Chief Constable George Hamilton to remain accurate.

That assessment was that members of the Provisional IRA were involved, but that their actions were not sanctioned by the organisation's leadership.

As if to reinforce this point, the report states that "some activity takes place without the knowledge or direction of the leadership".