The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, told the Dáil today that a breach of the rules of decommissioning confidentiality would have put at risk the whole process of IRA disarmament and spoke of his misgivings about the sequencing of events which led to last night's impasse.
Mr Ahern also said he had been reluctant to travel to Hillsborough yesterday because he had been unable to contact Mr de Chastelain ahead of going to Northern Ireland.
The Taoiseach said he had always believed that the lack of specific details on IRA decommissioning, presented by General John de Chastelain, would cause problems in peace process negotiations.
|
Mr Ahern told the Dáil this morning that he was "deeply disappointed that our efforts failed" but said the Government would "continue with the British government and others to find a solution".
The two governments will begin today to push for publication, within days, of the exact quantities of IRA weapons and explosives put beyond use yesterday, in an effort to secure a deal to end the IRA campaign and secure the North's political institutions.
A series of choreographed events planned for yesterday stalled when the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, Mr David Trimble, demanded more transparency from Gen de Chastelain's International Independent Commission on Decommissioning (IICD) on its presentation of the latest IRA arms move.
Mr Ahern was determined to remain positive, however, adding: "I do think it is important this morning that we look at what was achieved and what is there. It is important to keep what is there. That is my biggest concern this morning.
He said the IICD's confidentiality was always going to be a problem.
"[General de Chastelain] couldn't say there was 95 of this or 36 of that or 11 of the other, he couldn't say that and I knew that he couldn't say that. I did know that.
"And I always said that had the potential for somebody to say 'well we need to know the exact amount'. But equally I have to say that I understand fully...why he couldn't say that.
"Until General John de Chastelain presented his report and told us what he could and couldn't say...we didn't know the outcome of that and of course, if we didn't, Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness didn't and either did David Trimble.
"I always felt that was a difficulty because immediately people would say we need more clarity and more details.
"I'm not into recriminations, that will get me absolutely nowhere. I was deeply frustrated last night, but this is a new day, we have to get on with it," Mr Ahern added.
British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair told the House of Commons today that ministers were working hard to "find a way" to disclose details of the arms decommissioned.
Addressing the issue of the IICD, he said: "Unionists need to be sure that what is being said is a substantial act ofdecommissioning is indeed a substantial act of decommissioning."
But in a Belfast press conference, Sinn Féin's Mr Martin McGuinness said he was "very disappointed by the lack of support for Gen de Chastelain and the IICD.""I am critical of the two Governments," he added.
"This was not a question of presentation. For a long time, people have almost been elevating themselves to a position where you would almost think they were responsible (for the decommissioning process)."
Party president Mr Gerry Adams said it was still unclear what the reasons were for the suspension of the deal yesterday.
He said he had still not received "a satisfactory answer".
SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan, however, urged the IRA to remove the confidentiality obligation on Gen de Chastelain over exactly what was decommissioned to get the peace process back on track. Mr Durkan said: "I don't think public confidence loses anything by the IRA waiving that right to confidentiality."