NI Power-Sharing In Danger As Party Pulls Out

The Ulster Unionist Party has announced its intention to pull out of Northern Ireland's devolved government over claims the IRA still exists.

Its decision puts pressure on the larger Democratic Unionist Party to follow suit, a move that would collapse the power-sharing administration.

UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said: "We are in a bad place but this can be fixed ... the IRA need to go away and stop terrorising their own communities."

The political crisis has been looming since the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) linked the IRA to a murder in Belfast.

Detectives said members of the republican terror group had been involved in the fatal shooting of Kevin McGuigan , 53, two weeks ago.

The father-of-nine, a former IRA member, was targeted in apparent retaliation for the murder of former IRA Commander, Gerard "Jock" Davison last May.

Last Saturday, Chief Constable George Hamilton told a news conference he believed the IRA still existed but was no longer on a war footing.

It is 21 years since the IRA ceasefire, 10 years since it claimed to have decommissioned weapons and 10 years since it declared its armed campaign over.

Sinn Fein's Gerry Adams has repeatedly stated in recent days that, "the IRA has gone away and is not coming back".

But Mr Nesbitt described Mr Adams’ denial as "threadbare" and said it had "put a hole in the fabric of the Agreement".

The resignation of the smaller Unionist party from the five-party mandatory coalition could force the larger party to end its power-sharing arrangement with Sinn Fein.

DUP Deputy Leader Nigel Dodds said his party was seeking an urgent meeting with ther Prime Minister.

He argued the Govermnment had a responsibillity "to punish any party that is found to be in breach of their commitments to exclusively peaceful and democratic means".

Northern Ireland Secretary Theresa Villiers said she would continue discussions with parties about the impact of the murder of Mr McGuigan.

Ms Villiers added: "The government remains fully committed to the devolved political institutions and to the implementation of the Stormont House Agreement."