The IRA has urged the British government to take political responsibility for the resolution of the decommissioning impasse, which could again lead to the collapse of the Northern Ireland Executive in the coming weeks. In its New Year's statement, the organisation said it remained committed to resolving the arms issue. The onus was, however, on Mr Tony Blair to overcome the impasse. "The leadership of the IRA is committed to a resolution of the issue of arms. This will not be resolved until the British Prime Minister takes political responsibility for it.
"More than six years have elapsed since our first cessation of all military operations. In the interim, we have honoured all commitments we have given. The search for a durable peace has presented many challenges for Irish republicans. For our part, we have risen to these challenges and helped to move the peace process forward," the statement read.
While the IRA leadership had taken a number of "unprecedented initiatives" aimed at enhancing "all genuine efforts to realise a just and lasting peace", the British government had "failed to seize the opportunity created by these initiatives", the statement concludes.