LONDON, Aug. 6 (UPI) -- The long-time head of the Irish Republican Army's political wing is calling for the militant group to be dissolved so the peace process can resume.
Gerry Adams said Unionists were using the IRA's continued existence to avoid returning to a power-sharing arrangement with Sinn Fein, which Adams heads, the Times of London reported Friday
"I personally feel that while there are justifiable fears within Unionism about the IRA and while people have concerns about the IRA, I think political Unionism uses the IRA and the issue of IRA arms as an excuse," Adams said Thursday.
"I think that republicans need to be prepared to remove that as an excuse."
He said he sees the IRA going out of business as part of an "ongoing process of sustainable change."
Officials said his remarks displayed a clarity usually missing from his past utterances on the subject, much to the consternation of Unionists, who refer to Adams's cryptic use of language as "Sinn Fein-speak."
