The Irish National Liberation Army has confirmed that it believes its war is over, but has insisted that it has no plans to decommission. INLA spokesmen said they were convinced there was no further basis for an armed campaign in the North.
An INLA spokesman said: "This is not a new position. This was stated when our ceasefire was declared a year ago. Our view on the futility of continuing the armed struggle is unchanged." However, he said, the INLA was not about to begin handing over weapons: "Decommissioning is not on the agenda."
There is no incentive for the INLA to disarm. Its prisoners will be released under the terms of the Belfast Agreement anyway and its political wing, the Irish Republican Socialist Party - like the Progressive Unionist and Ulster Democratic parties - will not be represented in the executive.
The INLA's comments followed a report in the Sunday Times that it had become the first paramilitary group in the North to declare its war over. The newspaper said the INLA had told its political wing there was "no political or moral argument to justify a resumption of the campaign".
The INLA, which describes itself as Marxist, was formed in 1975. It was once a rival to the Provisional IRA, carrying out a series of high-profile attacks including the 1979 assassination of the British Conservative spokesman on the North, Airey Neave.
However, the INLA's influence waned with a series of feuds from the mid-1980s which largely discredited it among republicans. Although the INLA verbally opposed the Belfast Agreement, it effectively accepted the peace process. Unlike the Provisionals, the INLA has not breached its ceasefire and the paramilitary group does not carry out so-called "punishment" attacks.
Some anti-ceasefire former members are keen to form a new alliance with the "Real IRA" and former Continuity IRA members. However, the INLA is strongly opposed to this idea and is instead seeking a non-aggression pact with the UVF and the UDA.
This pact would be an attempt to ensure that even if the Belfast Agreement falls, there would not inevitably be a return to conflict by the various groups.
Dissident UUP MP Mr Jeffrey Donaldson said he would be adopting "a wait-and-see approach. The INLA will have to prove that they have declared a complete end to their campaign of violence, and even if this is the case, they will have to decommission." Mr Ian Paisley jnr of the DUP described it as a "meaningless charade" to take the spotlight away from the IRA.
The report was dismissed by a Sinn Fein spokesman, who said republicans would be "very sceptical" about it and reluctant to comment any further on it.
A UDP spokesman said: "We would obviously welcome any indication from any grouping that the war is over but, understandably, we will adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
"The INLA has a reputation for splitting and it will be interesting to see over the next couple of days if they will issue a statement speaking as one group or whether we will see a `Real INLA' or `Continuity INLA' emerge."