Question marks hang over 'acts of completion'

The government came under pressure in the Commons yesterday to clarify what the Prime Minister described as "acts of completion".

During the debate – and ahead of today's inter-governmental talks at Hillsborough – NIO Minister Jane Kennedy offered a dark assessment of the political climate in Northern Ireland, saying that recent events had been "less than encouraging".

"The Colombian episode continued to unfold, and paramilitary violence on the streets, consisting of both assaults and shootings, has continued unabated. The break-in at Castlereagh and the intelligence-gathering operation at Stormont further contributed to the general loss of confidence among the parties," she said.

Ms Kennedy said that it was time for "acts of completion" and that all the main players should respond "together".

However, the definition of "acts of completion" drew question marks from unionist and Conservative MPs.

Northern Ireland Shadow Spokesman Quentin Davies accused the government of many "tactical errors" and said a "global, comprehensive and definitive settlement" was needed. That, he said, called for the government to define what it meant by "acts of completion" – whether it meant engaging in the decommissioning process, or the total decommissioning and disbandment of paramilitary groups. He said that the government must "now say what it means".

"We do not want camouflage words, as I call them, which try to cover up the exact definition of the terms of the agreement. We must be absolutely clear," he said.

UUP leader David Trimble accused the government of being led by republicans on the need for full implementation, adding that the process needed more than just "the verification of acts of decommissioning".

Mr Trimble said that whilst the government was willing to commit between 1,200 and 1,500 Northern Irish servicemen against Iraq, the government's approach in the province was "hypocritical".

He added: "Are the terrorist organisations in Northern Ireland radically different in nature from the state-sponsored terrorism on which the government are focusing?"

DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson said that unless the government got tough with paramilitary groups and their associates, the issue would never be resolved.

Earlier in the debate, Jane Kennedy said that February 26 2004 was the deadline for voluntary decommissioning to end.

(GMcG)