Statement by Danny Kennedy, after meeting with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD), Belfast, (27 September 2005)

Statement by Danny Kennedy, then Assembly Group Deputy Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), after meeting with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning (IICD), Belfast, (27 September 2005)

"It is a sad situation that other parties today have cast aspersions on the character and integrity of the two witnesses to IRA decommissioning. I have known the Reverend Harold Good for a number of years. He is a well-respected church figure within Methodism and within the broader church family.

It is wrong to question the honesty and integrity of the church witnesses to IRA decommissioning. It is deeply regrettable that others have decided to do so. Questioning their bona fides serves no purpose whatsoever.

I have no doubt that the Reverend Good and Father Reid have faithfully reported what they saw. However, there are other concerns surrounding the process, which we discussed with the IICD today.

It is essential that an inventory of the IRA’s decommissioned weaponry is published and that the Republican Movement’s vast criminal empire is dismantled. It would appear that a significant development in terms of decommissioning has taken place but regrettably not in a way, which has maximised public confidence and we raised this issue in the meeting today.

Unionism remains to be convinced of the Republican Movement’s commitment to exclusively peaceful and democratic means. It is important to observe how Republicans behave in coming months. We will await publication of the IMC’s forthcoming reports and assess the conditions on the ground in our local areas."