One sticking point -- if not the key obstacle -- in the Northern Ireland peace process has been the question of when the Irish Republican Army would give up its arms. A fair amount of fudge has been allowed to obscure this issue. That is understandable. After all, no arms would be surrendered until trust had been established, yet without an agreement, the trust-building process would never begin. As a result, a certain level of ambiguity was tolerated, if not required. Hard choices are going to have to be made, and perhaps soon. But there is growing concern that not enough time has passed and that the decommissioning issue could wreck the Good Friday peace accord.

Since the agreement was signed April 10, 1998, considerable progress has been made. Last week, Northern Ireland's national assembly voted to establish a power-sharing executive. The new Cabinet will consist of 10 ministries and six cross-border groups to coordinate and implement policy with the Irish Republic. The vote opens the way for the British minister for Northern Ireland, Ms. Mo Mowlam, to approve the establishment of the decision-making body.

The deadline for creating the executive -- and passing power from London to Belfast -- is March 10, but there are strong indications that it will not be met. The sticking point is when the Republicans will give up their arms. Compounding the problem is the rash of violent attacks that have occurred in recent weeks. Members of both Protestant and Catholic paramilitaries have shown a fondness for "punishment beatings," which in less charged places is called vigilante justice.