Madam, - The IRA's New Year statement, reported in your edition of January 2nd, is enlightening for a number of reasons.
Firstly, any sense of remorse for past crimes is, unsurprisingly, absent, as in the statement of July 28th last. Secondly, we are told that the IRA leadership "remains wedded to our republican objectives. We are confident that these objectives will be achieved". We know from Sinn Féin's recent campaigning that this means the fervent pursuit of the "United Ireland" agenda.
To push forward such a proposal aggressively while Northern Ireland remains void of peace and reconciliation is to damage the pursuit of peace. Sinn Féin-IRA's arrogant and premature insistence on a united Ireland will continue to poison relations between the unionist and nationalist communities for generations to come.
Thirdly, and most importantly, the statement is described as coming from the "leadership of Oglaigh na hÉireann". The fact that the IRA still claims the name of the legitimate Irish Army shows that its constitution has not changed considerably, if at all. The Republic of Ireland (or the "26 Counties" as Shinners scornfully call it) remains, in IRA eyes, the puppet of a foreign power and, therefore, must be abolished.
Last summer the IRA's 30-year terrorist campaign against Britain ceased. The attention of the subversives has now turned to the Republic. From the case of Niall Binéad et al. we know that the Provos have in recent years been monitoring Irish politicians, and running an "election campaign" which requires a sledgehammer, a black balaclava, a pickaxe handle, radios and a fluorescent Garda jacket.
I haven't been fooled into thinking that the Provos have gone away, but many people have. The Provos remain a highly organised, subversive organisation, whose tentacles reach into mainstream media and politics. We must keep our wits about us; there's a storm coming. - Yours, etc,
CIARAN McCABE, Beechpark, Lucan, Co Dublin.
Madam, - In his column of December 31st, Martin Mansergh makes the confident statement: "The year 2005 was the final watershed for the Provisional IRA. Patience with procrastination, prevarication and blatant acts of criminality finally ran out. The gain for peace should not be squandered."
In your edition of January 2nd Religious Affairs Correspondent Patsy McGarry reports that President McAleese described 2005 as the year "when we saw the IRA in particular turn its back on violence for ever". In the same edition, under the heading, "IRA praises discipline in era of demilitarisation", Gerry Moriarty reports on a statement attributed to the leadership of the IRA.
In its annual New Year message the "leadership of Oglaigh na hÉireann" sends greetings to its friends and supporters in Ireland and abroad, especially republican prisoners and their families. "We salute the discipline and commitment of IRA volunteers. We remain wedded to our republican objectives. We fully support and commend everyone working for these goals, especially our comrades in Sinn Féin."
These are hardly the words of an illegal organisation on the brink of dissolution. I don't think it is possible for the leadership of an illegal army to make its future intentions clearer regarding its role as a major player in "restructuring" a new Ireland.
Despite such unambiguous statements of intent from the leadership of the IRA, people such as Dr Mansergh and even President McAleese can make confident predictions that are, at best, ill-advised at this time. While there is no doubt that IRA violence has diminished in Northern Ireland, there is no room for complacency in our politically fragile Republic. The upsurge in slanted, and in some cases anti-establishment comments by some sections of the media could well be the precursor of a slide towards a Republic of Ireland that will have more in common with the old East European states than with the less than perfect, but progressive little country in which we now live. - Yours, etc,
NIALL GINTY, The Demesne, Dublin 5 .