Ulster parties seek more time

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, AUG 5. Political parties in Northern Ireland have sought more time to consider the British-Irish peace proposals saying it is not possible for them to meet Monday's deadline which a senior Sinn Finn leader dismissed as ``silly nonsense''.

``As far as we are concerned there is no deadline in this matter other than the imperative of getting the Good Friday Agreement implemented,'' Mr. Alex Maskey said prompting contradictory conclusions in political circles. While some believed that the fact that neither side had rejected the proposals was a hopeful sign, others viewed it as a stalling tactic. But the scope for stalling, observers pointed out, was limited because of the tight constitutional time-table for resolving the current political crisis.

The British Government has until August 12 to decide the future of the provincial assembly. If no agreement is reached by then, it must either suspend the provincial Assembly or dissolve it and call fresh elections. The continued shrill rhetoric from rival camps held out little hope of a settlement over the issue of IRA decommissioning which led the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) chief, Mr. David Trimble to resign as head of the provincial Government on July 1 plunging the Good Friday agreement into a deep crisis. Mr. Trimble made it clear today that there was no change in his party's stand that the only way to move the Agreement forward was to get the IRA to start decommissioning. He said no ``hastily patched up'' compromise would do; and the British Government must pressure the Republicans to face up to their obligation under the Good Friday Agreement to get rid of their weapons.

``We want to see real peace, real democratic politics in Northern Ireland,'' he told Sky News this morning. He admitted that the Good Friday Agreement would be in ``very serious difficulty'' if no agreement was reached but claimed that the ball was in the Republican court. He sought to link the rise of the Real IRA and its violent campaign - reflected in Thursday's powerful bomb blast in London - to the lack of progress on disarmament. The Government, he said, must ``rethink'' its approach to the peace process and ``bring pressure'' on the IRA to disarm. He reiterated the Unionist argument that the Republicans could not claim to eat their cake and have it too - with Sinn Fein sharing political power, and its armed wing, the IRA holding on to its weapons.

The peace package, prepared by the British and Irish Governments, defines decommissioning as ``central'' to the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement and offers a series of concessions to the Republicans on policing and demilitarisation to persuade them to agree to decommissioning. But Republicans argue that the proposals fall short of their demand for more sweeping police reforms.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : International
Previous : Shackled in the land of freedom
Next     : Problems wait as Bush goes on holiday