The Provisional IRA's Army Council, which once ran western Europe’s most effective terrorist organisation, now poses no threat to UK security and no longer has a military command structure, a report due to be published today will say.

The Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC), a body created by the British and Irish governments to monitor the activities of Northern Ireland’s paramilitary groups, is due to address the question at the heart of a growing political crisis which threatens to bring down the powersharing government of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Fein.

The province’s ruling executive has not met since June because of Sinn Fein’s refusal to attend. Sinn Fein has warned that it will bring down the Stormont institution unless the DUP agrees to the devolution of police and justice powers from Westminster.

The DUP argues that there is insufficient public confidence to take that step at a time when dissident Republican terrorists have stepped up their efforts to murder police officers.

The IMC was asked to prepare the report over the summer and gathered its information from anti-terrorist agencies in Britain and Ireland.

The DUP, however, demands that the Army Council disbands all together, rather than to go into semi-retirement - as appears to be the case at present.

That position was underlined yesterday by Peter Robinson, the DUP leader and First Minister, when he effectively dismissed in advance the conclusions of the IMC’s report.

Speaking after meeting Sir Hugh Orde, the Police Service of Northern Ireland's Chief Constable, Mr Robinson said he was told that the Army Council remained in place but was not involved in terrorist activity.

Mr Robinson said that his party had been absolutely clear that the end of the Army Council was essential.

"I don't believe that we are in that position,” he said. "I accept what the Chief Constable says that they (the Army Council) are not meeting for any terrorist purpose.

"But we require the removal of the IRA's army council and we've always made that clear."

Last week, he warned of “serious consequences” if the executive did not meet by September 18.

The DUP and Sinn Fein leaderships are expected to meet for talks tomorrow as a first step in resolving their differences on issues including the devolution of justice powers, education reform, the future of the Maze prison site and the promotion of the Irish language.

The 2006 St Andrews Agreement, the blueprint for power-sharing government between the DUP and Sinn Fein, set May of this year as a target date for the transfer of policing and justice powers.

Republicans have blocked meetings of the Assembly Executive since June, but now Mr Robinson has warned of serious consequences if a meeting planned for September 18 does not go ahead.

Sinn Fein was equally dismissive of the IMC report.

Its leader in the Irish Parliament, Caoimhghin O Caolain, said: "The IMC's contribution heretofore has been not been helpful."

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