Blair announces postponement of NI elections

Northern Ireland's political process was in turmoil today after Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that Assembly elections are to be postponed until the autumn.

Mr Blair said the latest statement on the IRA's future from Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams was not enough to allow for elections to take place on May 29 and that republicans had still not expressly ruled out all paramilitary activity as set out in the Good Friday Agreement.

The Prime Minister said the basic principle of the Agreement was that "we implement what is in it on the basis that everyone is committed to exclusively peaceful means.

"Until we can be clear on that, there is not a basis for reconstituting the government in Northern Ireland," he said.

Shortly before the Prime Minister's statement, Northern Ireland Secretary of State, Paul Murphy, cited a lack of clarity from the IRA on its future intentions, and said elections could not take place until the republican group was prepared for a "full, immediate and permanent cessation of all paramilitary activity, including military attacks, training, targeting, intelligence gathering, acquisition or development of arms or weapons, other preparations for terrorist campaigns, punishment beatings and attacks and involvement in riots".

All of Northern Ireland's main political parties are seemingly opposed Mr Blair's decision to postpone elections, except for Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble who described the decision as a "time out" period for the process.

He said: "The underlying problem that caused the suspension has to be resolved.

"It has not been possible to do so and, of course, to proceed to elect to a body that has no prospect of meeting is illogical."

(MB)