Governments welcome 'positive' report on IRA

The British and Irish governments have welcomed the latest assessment of IRA activity, saying it shows the paramilitary organisation is moving in the right direction.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain described today's Independent Monitoring Commission's report on paramilitary activity as positive. "It shows that the IRA is moving in the right direction and is closing down - no murders, no recruitment and no bank robberies," he said.

"There is enough progress in this report to make the process of talking meaningful - not an Executive up and running tomorrow, but the beginning of a process of genuine and purposeful engagement."

Mr Hain was speaking following a meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern in London.

Both governments will chair talks next week aimed at attempting to revive devolution in Northern Ireland.

However, the talks are not expected to lead to the resumption of the Stormont administration due to the fact the Democratic Unionists have already firmly ruled out power-sharing with Sinn Fein until there is a complete cessation of all criminality by the IRA.

DUP leader Rev Ian Paisley said: "Far from being a clean bill of health, the Independent Monitoring Commission's report reaffirms what we already know - that the Provisional IRA is riddled with illegality."

Mr Hain urged unionists to recognise the efforts the IRA had made to live up to its commitments.

"It takes more than six months for the closing down of such a complex organisation," he argued.

"Even so there is understandable and justified concern about criminality," he said. "We have always said that there are complex assessments to be made to distinguish between the criminal activities of individual PIRA members for their own gain and criminality carried out by PIRA members which is authorised by the organisation."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's official spokesman also welcomed the "very significant change" in terms of IRA activity.

"What we are not saying is that the Executive should be set up tomorrow, but the dynamic is very firmly in the right direction," he said. "There are issues in relation to organised crime and intelligence which have to be addressed, but the overall dynamic is very firmly in the right direction."

Despite its broadly positive assessment of IRA activities, Sinn Féin chief negotiator Martin McGuinness attacked the IMC's credibility. He described the report as offensive and accused the body of specifically targeting his party.

"The individuals who make up the IMC and the group collectively are absolutely hostile to Irish republicanism and are a proxy for political policing,"

the Mid-Ulster MP said.

The SDLP's Alban Maginness attacked the Provisionals for giving the DUP an excuse not to reform a devolved administration. "The continued activity of the IRA in terms of spying, quite clearly for political purposes... and the continuation of criminality all plays into the hands of the DUP," he said.