Opinion

ANALYSIS: Pictures of decommissioned weapons a reminder of how much has been achieved

Pictures of guns decommissioned by the Official IRA
Pictures of guns decommissioned by the Official IRA Pictures of guns decommissioned by the Official IRA

ON Tuesday The Irish News published exclusive pictures of decommissioning by the Official IRA, lifting the lid on the previously secretive process of disarmament by paramilitary groups that was essential to progressing the peace process.

When the question of decommissioning was first raised, many said it was a pipe dream - that it had never happened in any other conflict situation in the world and that the 'hawks' would never be persuaded to surrender weaponry.

When the IRA did finally give up its guns in 2005 it opened the door for the DUP to engage fully with the political process, the result of which was the remarkable partnership forged between Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness.

Decommissioning witnesses Rev Harold Good and Fr Alec Reid were a crucial part of that process, with the Methodist minister telling this paper that their eyes were "to be the cameras" through which people could see that disarmament had happened.

Ian Paisley, Martin McGuinness and Fr Reid have all since passed away, leaving Rev Good as one of the last remaining key figures from that crucial period that helped cement peace.

He said the opportunities from that remarkable process which started with early talks and engagement and led to disarmament have not been properly "nurtured".

With the current political crisis resulting in some unionists and hardline Brexiteers at Westminster declaring the Good Friday Agreement to be dead, it is worth remembering just what that accord helped deliver.

The pictures of masked men with automatic weapons - taken just hours before they were put beyond use - show that despite recent setbacks, the Good Friday Agreement helped bring about what many claimed at the time was impossible.