Britain Did Get IRA Offer, Ahern Says

Just hours before London revoked the powers of Northern Ireland’s new administration, the British government received a disarmament proposal from the Irish Republican Army, Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern said. Ahern said his government received details of a secret IRA proposal about 12 hours before Britain announced that it would reimpose direct rule in Northern Ireland. He said he passed those details immediately to British Prime Minister Tony Blair in London, contradicting claims that Britain didn’t know about any IRA disarmament hints in advance of suspending the 2-month-old power-sharing Cabinet in Belfast, the provincial capital. Ahern’s remarks added to the controversy surrounding Britain’s decision last week to disable the Cabinet.