US President George W. Bush's special envoy to Northern Ireland this evening called for an end to all paramilitary activity in northern Ireland.
"What I'm most interested to see is an end to the paramilitaries maintaining any military capability," said Mr Richard Haas, currently in Belfast for a series of meetings with political parties on the latest crisis in the peace process.
"I'm interested to see an end to any paramilitary behaviour, for example targetting or punishment beatings," he told reporters after meeting the chief of Northern Ireland's police force, Mr Hugh Orde.
"What I want to see is an end to capabilities and behaviours that have no place in democratic societies.
"I believe we will reach a point where the IRA and other paramilitaries will essentially close that chapter," he said.
On Thursday, the Irish and British governments will preside over a series of new negotiations in the hope of restoring the power-sharing government - suspended on October 16th amid allegations of spying by four members of Sinn Féin.
AFP