Sir, - The main editorial comment in your edition of March 8th deals with the complex issue of decommissioning and arrives at a conclusion which gives cause for concern.
Your contention that the foundering of the Good Friday Agreement would be a lesser price to pay than "embracing the corruption" of giving in to Republican demands is rooted in the rhetoric of times past. The fact is that the agreement stipulates no start date for decommissioning. While the majority of people on this island have consistently indicated a wish for an immediate start to this process and despite the differing interpretations of the wording of the agreement, the dangers implicit in your position are immense.
In essence, what you are suggesting is that it would be preferable for the agreement to founder than to be seen to come down on the Republican side of this particular argument. The implications of such a position are frightening, quite frankly. The people of this island voted for this agreement and to suggest that it should be confined to the same resting place as Sunningdale, the New Ireland Forum and the old Assembly rather than take a particular interpretation of a particular wording represents a dangerous flirtation with the politics of posturing.
I believe that decommissioning should start now. It should have started some time ago. That, however, is not the case and it does not follow that, if that wish does not bear immediate fruit, this entire process, which has taken 10 years or more to reach this stage, should be cast aside.
It is incumbent on all politicians of all persuasions to ensure that the agreement does not founder. The alternative is an appalling vista that does not bear contemplation. - Yours, etc.,
Ian Headon, Grange Park Road, Raheny, Dublin 5.