Stephen Farry said: “The Alliance Party played a pivotal role in the creation of the IMC. We had proposed the use of a ceasefire monitor in 2002 in order to provide standards in a process where confidence was being damaged by political claim and counter-claim. The past seven years of the IMC have more than fulfilled our expectations.
“The IMC was designed to provide an independent and authoritative source of information on the activities of paramilitary organisations. They could counteract the danger of political decisions being taken on the basis of political rumour. Also, assessments were made on an independent basis reducing the risk that decisions on how to handle violence from politically-associated paramilitary groups would be determined by political expediency.
“The IMC was instrumental in copper-fastening the need for a full end to all forms of violence and criminality from paramilitary groups, and that any activity was a threat to democracy, human rights and the rule of law.
“The dissolution of the IMC does not mean that problems relating to political violence and organised threats to the rule of law have finished. Rather its end reflects a consolidation of the political institutions and the support of the rule of law from all the main political players.”
On the IICD, Stephen Farry said: “The IICD also played a crucial role in facilitating the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons. While the process was very drawn out, this important confidence building measure would have lacked integrity without independent verification.”
ENDS