Efforts Underway to Salvage Northern Ireland Peace Process
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BELFAST, Northern Ireland — Britain and the Irish Republic were shaping an eleventh-hour plan involving a scaling down of the British military presence in an attempt to rescue Northern Ireland’s peace process, radio and television stations reported today.
Ireland’s state broadcaster, RTE, quoting unidentified sources, said the plan also envisaged Irish Republican Army guerrillas making a gesture before May to disarm.
The reports said the plan being hashed out by London and the Irish government--co-sponsors of the 1998 Good Friday accord--involved the head of Northern Ireland’s independent disarmament panel, Canadian Gen. John de Chastelain, remaining in his post for another year.
The reports came just hours before a British deadline later today for the IRA to make a commitment to disarm.
On Thursday, Britain passed legislation to reinstate its direct rule of the province if the IRA commitment fails to materialize.
The legislation would suspend Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government of majority Protestants and Roman Catholics.
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