The decommissioning commission has had a number of meetings but, with the exception of the LVF, no weapons at all so far from the main paramilitary groups. All of the agreement has to be implemented, because it all hangs together. That has been vital to the progress we have already made. But all of us are committed to the aim of seeing the guns not just silent, but taken out of politics for ever. That is why a start to decommissioning would do more to create confidence between the communities than any other single step.
Confidence is of course a two-way street.
The old days and the old ways of domination by one community have to be put aside once and for all. Mutual respect and mutual acceptance of legitimacy are the keys. The aim is a normal, peaceful society where both traditions can flourish, and interact successfully, and where all sides have faith in their institutions. That means an end, once and for all, to the despicable practice of punishment beatings and shootings. It means a police force and criminal justice system genuinely open to all, and seen as such.