Sir, - With yet another crisis in the political affairs of Northern Ireland, perhaps those in charge in the "negotiation" process have lost the political will to continue the unruly wagon along its tortuous path.
If the desire still exists to find a way out of a situation that Machiavelli himself would find remarkable, perhaps it is time to take a strategic, realistic look at the arms issue.
Given the state of development of violent political culture in Northern Ireland, it is unlikely that the gun will ever lose its totemic status. For 80 years, state-sponsored violence and the actions of our numerous private armies have stained our political landscape. That stain will take an age of change and dialogue to wash away. Resistance and suspicion are inevitable in this process. However, we can move beyond this particular decommissioning stalemate by making a strong distinction between offensive weapons and defensive arms.
Semtex explosive is an offensive weapon; it cannot militarily be described as defending any community. If that offensive capacity was given up or destroyed, the IRA would have great difficulty in obtaining "more in the morning", as John Hume put it recently. Equally, the unionist parties would see a historic movement on one issue that still causes great concern in their community. The destruction or surrender of Semtex would be a fair compromise for all parties involved.
The republican movement could declare that its offensive war against the state is over, while retaining its traditional role as defenders of the community - until progress on the outstanding issues of the agreement has reached a new level. More than for any political party, the mandate of our people is behind the Good Friday Agreement. This way, all parties can honour that mandate and continue along the road towards a brighter day. - Yours, etc.,
Hugh Odling-Smee, Belfast 9.