Ulster Unionists Reject IRA Arms Decommissioning

21/10/2003| IslamWeb

It has been a tumultuous day for the Northern Ireland peace process. The Irish Republican Army, or IRA, has decommissioned more weapons, a move rejected by the Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble. Hours earlier Britain called for fresh elections to Northern Ireland's power sharing assembly. That announcement triggered the IRA's arms scrap, an event confirmed by John de Chastelain, who oversees the disarmament process. "The arms comprise of light, medium and heavy ordinance and associated munitions. They include automatic weapons, munitions, explosives and explosive material. The quantity of arms involved was larger than the quantity put beyond use in the previous event." After Britain announced elections to restore the province's suspended government next month, Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams, called for an end to all sectarian violence. But David Trimble rejected the IRA's decommissioning saying it was not transparent or detailed enough **PHOTO CAPTION*** Undated file photo shows a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) posing with weapons for a Republican resistance calendar somewhere in Ireland. (REUTERS/HO)