Britain's Blair welcomes IRA disarmament
( 2001-10-25 10:31 ) (7 )

British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Tuesday welcomed the announcement by the IRA that it was starting to disarm after 30 years of fighting British rule in Northern Ireland.

"We have worked for this moment. This is a move of fundamental significance for Northern Ireland, for relations between the communities in Northern Ireland, for Britain and also for the wider world," Blair told reporters at his Downing Street office in London.

Blair said that with the IRA's start to taking its weapons out of service, a "very significant milestone has been passed".

The IRA said earlier it was starting to disarm to save Northern nireland's tattered peace process.

Blair said the move now meant that Protestant leader David Trimble could and should re-enter Northern Ireland's devolved government in Belfast, which had been threatened with collpase after an earlier Protestant walk-out because no arms had been scrapped.