EVERYONE was confused. The ITN report on Friday night announced that an IRA General Army Convention was only hours away. Many republicans did not know what to think,
Prisoners in the Maze phoned their friends on the outside, to find out what was happening. Grassroots members feared, for a few moments anyway, that once again they had been kept out in the cold about another decision.
The automatic reaction of most republicans was to dismiss the story. Few trust the media and claims of IRA conventions have been circulating for months now.
But the republican leadership's elitism and secrecy regarding its base have created a climate which fosters rumour and speculation. Journalists these days often know what's happening before an ordinary IRA member does.
By Saturday, however, most republicans were dismissing the ITN report. It claimed that the convention would not be discussing a new IRA ceasefire, but the scale of future violence in the North whether it would opt for an all out campaign or restrict itself to highly selective targets.
The sources pointed out that such a decision was a matter for the Army Council, not a convention which deals with political and military principles, not tactics and strategy. The Provisionals have only held two conventions - in 1970 and in 1986.
ITN claimed that up to 100 delegates would be involved in the convention. Republicans said that about twice that number would take part. The convention was reported to be taking place in Knock, Co Mayo, yet well known republicans were walking about Belfast.
An IRA source in Andersonstown said that the Provisional IRA had been engaged in a wide ranging consultation process with its base over the past four months. He suggested that senior republicans had perhaps met in the Republic in recent days to discuss the political situation and that had given rise to the media speculation.
However, republican sources did not rule out the likelihood of a convention before the end of the year to decide on a new cessation.