Robinson rejects Sinn Fein talks claim

DUP deputy leader, Peter Robinson has rejected claims that his party is involved in secret talks with Sinn Fein.

In the BBC current affairs programme Spotlight, which is set to be aired tonight, Sinn Fein chief negotiator Martin McGuinness claims that both parties have been engaged in indirect talks.

The DUP currently has a policy of not talking with Sinn Fein as it views the republican party as inextricably linked to paramilitarism in the form of the IRA.

But that policy has softened to the degree that DUP representatives will now appear in televised debates with the Sinn Fein leadership – particularly since the DUP's Gregory Campbell sat alongside Sinn Fein Deputy President Pat Doherty at a pre-election debate in 2001.

However, Mr Robinson strongly rebuffed the suggestion that his party's position on engagement with Sinn Fein had been dropped.

"There is no contact between the Democratic Unionist Party directly or indirectly with Sin Fein," he said.

"That is the position and if anybody says any different let them name individuals, let us hear what the facts are so that we can deal with them."

He added: "My challenge to Mr McGuinness is quite simply put the names forward, let's hear the facts. We will deal anybody in our party who has been in contact with Sinn Fein because nobody has been authorised to be so."

Mr McGuinness has reportedly stood by his comments, saying that contact has been established through third parties purportedly representing the DUP. However, any suggestion there was a growing spirit of détente between the parties, was also firmly rejected by Mr Robinson.

"As far as I am concerned I have seen nothing in the behaviour of Sinn Fein/IRA in the past or in the present to indicate that they are changing in any way and we will not be dealing with anybody who is involved in terrorism," he said.

(GMcG)