The planned closure and demolition of Belfast's Whiterock military base was welcomed last night by the Government.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs said it was "an important development in normalising the situation in Belfast and elsewhere in Northern Ireland - in line with the aims and objectives of the Good Friday agreement.
"I hope this announcement will encourage all parties to redouble their efforts to overcome the present difficulties and to proceed with the full implementation of the agreement in accordance with what has been agreed and endorsed so overwhelmingly by the people North and South" Mr Andrews said.
The RUC Chief Constable, Mr Ronnie Flanagan, announced yesterday evening that the Whiterock base in west Belfast is to be closed and eventually demolished. The Northern Secretary, Dr Mowlam, said closure of the base was "further evidence of the commitment given in the Belfast Agreement to bring about a more normal security environment across Northern Ireland".
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, said the closure was "a long overdue move which must be immediately followed by the British government publishing, as it is committed to doing in the Good Friday Agreement, an `overall strategy' dealing with demilitarisation".
Mr Alex Attwood of the SDLP said: "Fort Whiterock has been the most significant military installation in west Belfast for many years. Its demolition will symbolise the changed environment in west Belfast and the attraction of the area for housing and investment."
The Workers' Party said the closure was "a most welcome move and a further sign of the return to normality that the Good Friday Agreement has promised".
Moves in the Assembly and on the security front yesterday may help to maintain some political momentum in Northern Ireland, despite the fact that even though the decommissioning issue remains unresolved.
Meanwhile the First Minister-designate, Mr David Trimble, told Assembly members at Stormont that he and the Deputy First Minister, Mr Seamus Mallon, were embarking on a fresh round of consultations with the parties on the possible shape of a new Northern Ireland administration. The move was welcomed by Mr Andrews and by Dr Mowlam, who said: "It is vital that the Good Friday Agreement keeps moving forward on all fronts, including the identification of North-South bodies and ministerial portfolios, as well as decommissioning."
There was speculation in Belfast last night about possible moves by the two governments to invite parties to submit ministerial nominations to what one source described as "a shadow of a shadow executive". The idea appeared to be that this device would allow the parties to be allocated their share of portfolios, although the body would not have to meet.
There were tensions in the Assembly, where Sinn Fein spokesmen bitterly attacked Mr Trimble over his tough stance on decommissioning. Earlier, the First Minister's unionist rivals in the DUP and UKUP refused to join in a standing ovation to mark the award of the Nobel Peace Prize to him and Mr John Hume.
The Sinn Fein chairman, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, accused Mr Trimble of behaving "in an obdurate and discriminatory manner" by his stance on Sinn Fein membership of a shadow executive. Sinn Fein had "an automatic right" to places on the executive and the North-South Ministerial Council.
Mr Mallon, who gave a separate report to the Assembly from Mr Trimble, said it was probable the October 31st deadline would pass without the formation of the executive and the inaugural meetings of the North-South and British-Irish Councils.
"This is the price we are paying for the deadlock on decommissioning. It is a very high price. The will of the people has been denied."
He felt "a deep sense of frustration" at the lack of progress. "What we have learned over the past few months is that we cannot force decommissioning," he said.
