18 June 2001

TOUGH TALKING FOLLOWS PRO-AGREEMENT MEETING

IN a fresh round of negotiations, the British Prime Minister and Irish premier Bertie Ahern met with the pro-Agreement parties to discuss the current political deadlock in Northern Ireland.

Separate meetings with the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), SDLP and Sinn Féin were held on Monday June 18 to try to find a settlement on the issues of IRA decommissioning, policing and British Army demilitarisation.

The Democratic Unionist Party were not at Monday’s meeting because they refuse to meet Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, but are due to meet Tony Blair in a separate meeting later in the week.

Speaking after the meeting, David Trimble, Gerry Adams and Seamus Mallon all gave a very a downbeat assessment of the current situation. Each party representative expressed fears for the future of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA), particularly with the impending threat of David Trimble’s resignation.

The SDLP delegation who met the prime ministers first included party leader John Hume, Northern Ireland deputy First Minister Séamus Mallon, chief whip Eddie McGrady and chairman Alex Attwood.

Speaking afterwards Seamus Mallon said: “This process is in very big trouble. Unless the two governments take action, in conjunction with all the parties to solve the problems of decommissioning, policing and demilitarisation then the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement are in danger.”

The Sinn Féin committee, who went in for talks second, included party president Gerry Adams, Stormont Minister of Education Martin McGuinness, Pat Doherty and Michelle Gildernew.

Gerry Adams said before he went into the meeting in Downing Street he was pleased that the British government had emphasised that the GFA was not up for renegotiation, although afterwards he said that he remained sceptical whether Tony Blair would remain true to full implementation of the Agreement.

The Ulster Unionist delegation included UUP leader and First Minister of the Northern Ireland Executive David Trimble, Stormont Minister for Culture, Arts and Leisure Michael McGimpsey, Assembly chief whip Jim Wilson, Roy Beggs Senior and anti-Agreement Unionist Jeffrey Donaldson. They met with the PM’s around 4pm.

Speaking afterwards David Trimble said that he personally felt very let down by the whole process. He said that he was losing patience with republicans who haven’t started the decommissioning process and that he would still step down in two weeks time: “My patience is at an end and if we don’t see republicans move on this issue then I will vacate office.”

Secretary of State Dr John Reid said that it would be “wishful thinking” to believe there was an alternative to the basic agreement: “What we have got to do is implement further, to build on what we have already done in it.” (AMcE)