SENATOR MITCHELL refused to comment, on the grounds of confidentiality, on reports that the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Hugh Annesley, had confirmed to the Commission that the paramilitaries would not disarm prior to all party talks.
On the weapons amnesty recommendation, General de Chastelain said that weapons would not be handed over if those who held them felt they could be prosecuted based on forensic examination of these weapons.
When the point was further put that such an amnesty might prevent the RUC and Garda from pursing outstanding murder inquires, Senator Mitchell replied "If you do not provide an amnesty, then you are ensuring that these arms will not be disposed of."
Asked would allowing the paramilitaries hold on to their weapons not overshadow talks, Senator Mitchell gave a twofold response. Firstly, the original requirement was that paramilitaries should only hand over a portion of their weapons which would leave them with the bulk of their arms during talks. Secondly, he suggested, the required commitments to peace as laid down in the report, would, if honoured, meet the demand" that weapons would not be used as an overhanging threat during talks.
Senator Mitchell said his comments should not be construed as accepting that Sinn Fein, in its submission to the Commission, was speaking authoritatively on behalf of the IRA.
In the coming days he expected to be talking to President Clinton about the report. He had no immediate plans to meet the President.
The senator said that while there were advantages in having" a knowledge of history, it could also at times be an obstacle to progress many of the discussions we had were steeped in history, with reference made to events that occurred decades or even hundreds of years ago, as ifs they were recent events. I think it important that people have pride in their history, but I also think it important that at appropriate times and in appropriate circumstances, that people break out of the past and look to the future. We think this is such a time.
"We encourage all parties and all people Dot to dwell so much on the past, not to employ their past inventories of historical recrimination, but rather to look to the future. We believe that is the surest way to provide the peaceful future that the people here want."
Senator Mitchell said that the international body held and expressed no view on what might be a reasonable time plan for the handing over of token amounts of weapons during talks, or on what might constitute the "modest mutual steps on decommissioning" which its report recommended.
"Those would clearly be matters for the parties themselves to determine", he said.
As to whether or not he was optimistic, after talking to the parties, that these measures might be accepted by them, he said he was by nature an optimist.
"I believe in improvement and progress and I think we're all capable of it. I think there is a great prospect for a peaceful and prosperous future for the people of this island, here in Northern Ireland, if this opportunity is simply grasped now," he said. "I believe, having got to know the leaders here, that is possible and I hope and pray that it will occur".
He added that they had not talked directly to the paramilitary organisations.