Independent International Commission On Decommissioning - Legislation and Organisation

Legislation and Organisation

An earlier international body, set up during the ceasefires to report on how decommissioning might be achieved, presented its report on 22 January 1996. This recommended that the decommissioning process should take place "to the satisfaction of an independent commission". The Decommissioning Act, 1997 in the Republic of Ireland and the Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 in the United Kingdom enabled such a body, which was then set up in an agreement between the British and Irish governments on 26 August 1997.

The Commission was made up of:

• (Ret) General John de Chastelain, the Chairman, from Canada
• Brigadier Tauno Nieminen, from Finland, and
• Ambassador Donald C. Johnson, from the USA, 1997–99, Andrew D. Sens, from the USA, 1999–

Its objective was to facilitate the decommissioning of firearms, ammunition and explosives, by:

• consulting with the two governments, the participants in the ongoing negotiations in Northern Ireland, and other relevant groups,
• devising and presenting to the governments a set of proposals on how to achieve decommissioning,
• facilitating the process by observing, monitoring and verifying decommissioning, and receiving and auditing arms, and
• reporting periodically on progress.

In the Belfast Agreement, signed in 1998, the participants reaffirmed their commitment to the total disarmament of all paramilitary organisations, and confirmed their intention to continue to work constructively and in good faith with the Independent Commission, and to use any influence they may have, to achieve the decommissioning of all paramilitary arms within two years following endorsement in referendums North and South of the agreement and in the context of the implementation of the overall settlement.

In the event, progress on decommissioning was disappointingly slow, and the two-year target was not met. Decommissioning of PIRA weaponry was often used as a necessary condition before Unionists would agree to the full implementation of the Agreement including power sharing.