IRA committed to permanent peace
The IRA's Easter message is to be welcomed. Oglaigh na hÉireann has
reiterated its definitive commitment to the peace process and
restated that it continues to facilitate the search for a durable
peace settlement.
IRA guns are silent, states the leadership's message, which goes on
to identify the challenge for everyone, but particularly the British
government, that the task ahead of us all is the removal of the
causes of conflict in our country.
In a week that saw the continuation of loyalist attacks on the
nationalist community and three more bombs left at the homes of
Catholics, the need for a lasting and just peace is all the more
important.
In the week when we should have been marking the first anniversary of
the Good Friday Agreement, the process is instead deadlocked.
The unionists have prevented the establishment of the Executive, and
despite the involvement of Bertie Ahern and Tony Blair in this week's
negotiations, David Trimble has not moved.
The British government has the power and the legal requirement to
trigger the d'Hondt system but won't do so.
This is the unionist veto at its most potent. With the IRA, as
declared in its Easter message, remaining committed to the success of
the peace process, we have the one high point of a bleak month which
also witnessed the horrendous killing of Rosemary Nelson.
The negative influence of the unionist no men must be overcome to
allow us establish the durable peace we want.
Loyalists target nationalists
Loyalist gunmen and bombers have stepped up their attacks on
nationalists with three separate bomb attacks this week and with
reports that known loyalists have been seen targeting nationalists
throughout Belfast, republicans are urging people to be on their
guard.
This warning is all the more urgent given the attack on the family of
Sinn Fein councillor James McCarry in Ballycastle this week (see page
4) which was followed by attacks on Catholic homes in Dungannon and
North Belfast. Nobody was injured, but as with the killing of
Rosemary Nelson, the consequences could have been lethal.
In Belfast, a known loyalist, while on parole from prison two
weekends ago, was identified outside the home of a republican in
Ardoyne in North Belfast.
The man, known to be against the peace process, has a strained
relationship with the present leadership of loyalism over their
strategy. He was believed to have given the go-ahead to his
subordinates to support the LVF as they killed nationalists, last
year, in revenge for the killing of death squad leader Billy Wright
in Long Kesh.
``Nationalists need to be aware that loyalists will continue to use
violence to undermine the political process and the sense of
instability created by David Trimble only fuels this instability,''
said Sinn Féin assembly member for North Belfast, Gerry Kelly.
![[An Phoblacht]](http://republican-news.org/graphics/title_gifs/harp.gif)