By The Irish American Information Service

Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid has said he "cannot understand" the opposition to a paramilitary violence monitor.

Speaking Sept. 16, Reid denied the planned appointment was designed to strengthen the position of the Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble ahead of a meeting of his party's ruling council next weekend.

He dismissed the idea there was an acceptable level of violence in Northern Ireland and said he judged the Real IRA, Continuity IRA, other dissident republicans, the Loyalist Volunteer Force and Ulster Defence Association and Ulster Freedom Fighters not to be on ceasefire.

But he said, "In the round, I judge the Provisional IRA and Ulster Volunteer Force are on ceasefire. This doesn't mean to say I am blind to the fact that these, as well as other organisations, are involved in local violence and orchestration. The monitor idea was being introduced to show there was no acceptable level of violence and because the Northern Ireland people had the right to know about the evel of violence," said Reid.

He said he would retain the decision on the paramilitary ceasefires, but it had been put to him there would be more public credibility if there was an independent method of reporting on paramilitary violence and he could see the force of the argument.

"I have said all along that a ceasefire is not enough. No one should think that merely by being on ceasefire that all other sorts of violence can go on and that is somehow acceptable to us".

In a hard-hitting attack on the Northern Ireland First Minister ahead of his meeting with the British Prime Minister Tony Blair last week, Sinn Féin Assembly member Gerry Kelly claimed the UUP leader wanted to strip Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brun of their ministries.

Echoing IRA opposition to the idea of a paramilitary ceasefire monitor, the North Belfast MLA said it was a demand which was outside the terms of the Good Friday Agreement.

"He appears to want someone else to do John Reid's job," Kelly observed, claiming the Government appeared only to be moving towards the idea because of Trimble's internal party difficulties.

"All David Trimble's utterances appear to be aimed at driving Sinn Féin out of its ministries. David Trimble's policy appears to be wanting to put Sinn Féin out of government in the run-up to the Assembly election. He wants an exit plan based on a DUP ticket."

Kelly said Sinn Féin was not opposed to the idea of independent monitors to observe events in sectarian flashpoint areas of Belfast. However there was "no need" for a ceasefire monitor.

The SDLP leader Mark Durkan has also voiced opposition to the appointing of a so-called 'independent ceasefire auditor.'

Speaking after a meeting with the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning last week, Durkan said the governments should instead publish a regular index of all paramilitary violence.

"There is a lot of paramilitary activity taking place from organisations that are not even on ceasefire. Does an independent ceasefire auditor not take any interest in that scale and nature of activity?" he asked.

Durkan attacked unionists for only being interested in violence from republicans. "Their whole burden of interest is purely in the IRA ceasefire. They don't seem to be as concerned about the ongoing activity of other paramilitaries."

"I would hope they are not expecting an independent auditor of ceasefires to be there purely to reflect and pursue unionist concerns about violence or preparations for violence in the part of the IRA," he added.