Ahern claims SF has `strong card' to persuade IRA

The Taoiseach has indicated Sinn Fein now has "a very strong card" to help persuade the Provisional IRA to decommission some arms.

Speaking to journalists in Government Buildings yesterday , Mr Ahern said that up to 4.05 a.m. yesterday he could not say to Sinn Fein it had "cabinet positions" on the Northern Executive.

Now he could say to party members "and they can say to those that they have to persuade under the agreement" that they have a clear position where two of the 10 seats were for Sinn Fein.

"I accepted the argument for several months that I was not giving them a very strong card," Mr Ahern continued.

"As per 4 a.m. they have that strong card and I think that should help to move this block on. I do not want to say it is going to be easy."

Mr Ahern agreed they were unlikely to see the Executive set up until the chairman of the International Decommissioning Body, General John De Chastelain, was able to say something positive to convince others that everyone would share that role in the Executive.

As soon as they had the roundtable session early in the New Year, they had to move on that agenda.

He already had preliminary discussions with the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, on "how we will start that early in the New Year".

The Opposition leaders have welcomed the agreement on the North/South institutions and the commencement of decommissioning by the LVF. The Fine Gael leader, Mr Bruton, said it was a pity the arrangements for the Executive were not simultaneously agreed as there was a cross-over between the implementation bodies and the Northern Departments.

The commencement of decommissioning by the LVF put the onus on other paramilitary organisations to follow suit, he added.

The Labour leader, Mr Ruairi Quinn, hoped the breakthrough would clear the path for progress on the remaining obstacle of decommissioning.

"I am aware that Sinn Fein were particularly keen to ensure that the Irish language would be one of the issues included in the cross-border bodies. That, plus confirmation that there would be up to two seats available to it in the Executive, should enable Sinn Fein to step up its efforts to ensure a gesture on decommissioning from the Republican movement", he stated.

The DL leader, Mr De Rossa, said that while the number of weapons handed over by the LVF was relatively small, this was a truly historic step because, as had been noted on many occasions, there was no precedent in Irish history for a paramilitary organisation voluntarily decommissioning weapons.