Britain to further dismantle security bases in N.Ireland

Britain is to further dismantle its security bases in Northern Ireland after the Irish Republican Army (IRA) made the historic statement Thursday pledging the end of its armed campaign.

British Secretary for Northern Ireland Peter Hain said on Monday that the army chief will be responsible for assessing the security situation and determining the pace of change. The security changes are expected to include plans to demolish more watchtowers in Northern Ireland.

"No go areas" would end and police would no longer be routinely backed up by the army, he said.

An updated program of "security normalization" is also expected to be published soon, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported Monday.

The army began the first steps of dismantling security bases in south Armagh Friday when it announced the close of a military base and the removal of a watchtower and an observation post.

The British government intends to introduce legislation in fall to allow paramilitary fugitives to return home while working with the Irish government on the next steps to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland.

The IRA, which had been fighting against British rule in Northern Ireland, had been responsible for armed conflicts and terrorism acts in Northern Ireland and Britain as a whole for the last 36 years which saw some 3,600 people killed and thousands more injured.

Source: Xinhua