Blair wrong to focus on republicans says Adams

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams left his meeting with Secretary of State John Reid at Hillsborough Castle today and launched a scathing attack on the government's approach over the IRA ceasefire.

Following yesterday's admission by the UFF that it had carried out the murder of Catholic man Gerard Lawlor on Sunday, Mr Adams said that it was wrong that for the emphasis to placed on republicans.

As he emerged from his 90-minute meeting with Dr John Reid, the West Belfast MP said: "The reality is that Catholics are being killed in Belfast. There is a planned, organised campaign by loyalists against Catholics. The unionists' response to this is to seek the exclusion of Sinn Fein from our rightful place on the executive."

He added that it was "disgraceful that Mr Blair was focusing on republicans at a time when the threat to the peace process came from loyalists".

Prime Minister Tony Blair is expected to make an assessment on the status of the ceasefires in the Commons tomorrow before Parliament goes into recess for the summer. Mr Blair will also propose options on how the peace process should proceed.

Shadow Northern Ireland minister Quentin Davies added weight to UUP leader David Trimble's call for action and urged for "real sanctions" to be brought in to penalise paramilitary groups, and parties associated with them, following ceasefire breaches.

However, at a press conference at Stormont this afternoon, the SDLP leader Mark Durkan said that there was little prospect of Mr Blair demanding Sinn Fein's exclusion from the executive.

"Nobody is expecting any moves to exclusion in the statements in the House of Commons tomorrow," he said.

"I do not believe that Sinn Fein actually believes there is going to be any such move despite the fact that some of their statements are raising fears in that particular direction. And nor should there be any moves to exclusion tomorrow."

He warned that should the executive fall, it would send a message to paramilitaries that their actions can influence the process of government. This, he said, would "compound the damage being done".

Leading up to today's talks, Mr Adams had said that the Prime Minister's speech should instil confidence in the agreement and not accede to unionist demands on proscriptive measures for republicans – or "Mitchell Principles with bite" as the First Minister David Trimble termed it.

(GMcG)