Sinn Féin says IMC report has no credibility

Sinn Féin has dismissed the latest Independent Monitoring Commission's (IMC) report on paramilitary activity in the North.

Sinn Féin has dismissed the latest Independent Monitoring Commission's (IMC) report on paramilitary activity in the North.

The report, which was published today, claimed the Provisional IRA is showing "no signs" of winding down despite a reduction in its involvement in violence and criminality.

But Sinn Féin MLA for North Belfast Mr Gerry Kelly said: "Reports produced by the IMC are based solely on material provided by the securocrats within the Special Branch, MI5 and British Military Intelligence.

"All of these organisations are opposed to the peace process and opposed to the Good Friday Agreement and previous reports have already been exposed as riddled with inaccuracies,'" he said.

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"Given these facts the IMC has no credibility within the broad nationalist and republican community and the contents of this latest report are of little interest to it."

The Minister for Justice, Mr McDowell, after the publication of the report that all forms of paramilitary activity must end if stable politics is to be established in the North.

"While there are positive aspects to the Commission's report, in terms of the scaling back of some paramilitary activity, the report nevertheless underlines the imperative to bring all forms of paramilitary activity to an end," he said.

"This is a central feature of the approach of both Governments in their efforts to assure a peaceful society and stable politics in Northern Ireland."

The report claimed that paramilitary gangs remained involved in the drugs trade, robberies and the black market.

Northern Ireland Secretary Mr Paul Murphy said he was committed to clamping down on organised crime, and vowed to tackle all criminal activity.

"If criminal proceedings cannot be brought, cases will be referred to the Assets Recovery Agency to retrieve the proceeds of crime, either through civil action or taxation," he said.