Bertie Ahern (Dublin Central, Fianna Fail)

The effort now will be to work towards getting successful IMC reports. We have got the IICD reports and the IRA statement, so now the effort will be to try to deal with the issues around restoring the institutions, policing and stability in the institutions. We must try to have satisfactory arrangements so that people will be confident that if we get things up and running they will stay up, not like what has happened over several years.

In regard to watchtowers and demilitarisation generally, we have seen a significant scaling down of the British military presence in Northern Ireland in recent months. A number of the security observation posts in the Border area have been dismantled. These measures are a useful contribution to normalisation of society. We want to see demilitarisation completed within the two-year period set out in the Joint Declaration. That is what we believe will happen. In the light of progress already made in the recent moves of the IRA, I hope this programme can be completed within this time, if not sooner. If it can be done sooner, all the better, but it is well specified in the Joint Declaration agreed a few years ago. The British Government is committed to that and Prime Minister Blair has reiterated that commitment. We will continue to push to ensure that is achieved.

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