The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning was established by the British and Irish governments in August 1997. Its mandate was reaffirmed in the Belfast Agreement in April 1998. May 2000 was envisaged as the completion date for the decommissioning of all paramilitary arms.
The international commission is a triumvirate consisting of Canadian Gen John de Chastelain, retired Finnish Brig-Gen Tauno Nieminen and former US diplomat Mr Andrew Sens.
Gen de Chastelain (63), was born a British subject in Bucharest, Romania. He was educated in England and Scotland before emigrating to Canada in 1955 where he launched his military career as a private in the Calgary Highlanders.
His father was a senior British MI6 officer. He held senior posts with the UN and NATO and a two-year term as Canada's ambassador to the US. He became chief of staff of the Canadian armed forces in 1989.
Brig-Gen Nieminen (58), has held various assignments on the general staff of the Finnish defence forces and Helsinki Military District Headquarters.
He commanded the Lappeenranta Military District on the Russian border for two years in the late 1980s. He also headed the personnel section in the general staff until his retirement from active service nine years ago.
Mr Sens retired from the US foreign service four years ago. He was one of President Clinton's senior foreign and defence policy aides and also served in France, Norway, Iran, Pakistan and Argentina. In the 1990s, he was involved in managing the US response to international crime and terrorism, drugs and refugees.
Mr Sens replaced another US diplomat, Mr Donald Johnson, in 1999.
The international commission is based in east Belfast and served by Canadian, US and Finnish staff in line with the nationalities of the decommissioning officers.
It is assisted by two independent inspectors, the former Finnish prime minister, Mr Martti Ahtisaari, and a senior member of the African National Congress, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa.
They have carried out a number of inspections of IRA arms dumps, the most recent this May, on which they reported back to the commission.