UUP WARNING ON PEACE DEAL CRISIS
UUP warning on peace deal crisis
EXCLUSIVE
By Noel McAdam
SENIOR Ulster Unionists have warned the Government they would not now endorse the Good Friday Agreement, a confidential document revealed today.
The UUP Assembly group members also insisted there is "no chance" of an Assembly executive being formed without an actual handover of weapons by the IRA.
The document is a party record of a meeting at Stormont between the Assembly group and security minister Adam Ingram nine days before the Omagh bomb.
According to the minutes, Mr Ingram said an escalation of violence could make political progress "impossible".
The UUP today confirmed the authenticity of the minutes and said the Assembly group's position had been even more strongly reaffirmed at a meeting on Wednesday.
At the meeting on August 6 senior UUP talks negotiator Reg Empey told Mr Ingram: "No one has done more for the process than David Trimble and the UUP but no more can be done by us.
"As things stand at present the UUP would not endorse the Agreement and there is no chance of the executive being formed."
His talks team partner Dermot Nesbitt was reported as "livid" with the Government and said: "Sinn Fein must be told that the process will move on without them."
North Antrim Assembly member James Leslie said: "We require something to show our electorate who had faith in us."
Newry and Armagh member Danny Kennedy warned that in the absence of a handover of weapons by the IRA there would be no further movement by the UUP.
East Londonderry member Pauline Armitage said the Republican movement was setting the agenda and the Government needed to act quickly to restore confidence in the unionist community.
And West Tyrone member Derek Hussey said: "Sinn Fein are getting what they want without delivering anything."
Other unionists at the meeting argued there was an "absolute requirement" for decommissioning before an executive could be formed.
Mr Ingram is quoted as saying if prisoner releases are not implemented, the Agreement would collapse.
Mr Empey said today: "The significant thing is that we were saying these things even before Omagh."
The minutes were disclosed as UUP leader David Trimble told the New Statesman magazine his party could not work with Sinn Fein if it was not prepared to decommission.
But DUP Justice spokesman Ian Paisley junior today lambasted the Ulster Unionists for, he said. giving the appearance they had "got tough" on
decommissioning.
"Decommissioning has been pigeon-holed because they have signed up to an Agreement which does not deliver decommissioning, only the intention to decommission,"he said.
"The Ulster Unionists have absolutely no credibility after telling people they wouldn't sit down and negotiate with Sinn Fein without decommissioning - and that never happened.
"The truth is they are handcuffed to Sinn Fein. They made the deal and they cannot pretend now to be threatening to wreck it," Mr Paisley jnr added.
EXCLUSIVE
By Noel McAdam
SENIOR Ulster Unionists have warned the Government they would not now endorse the Good Friday Agreement, a confidential document revealed today.
The UUP Assembly group members also insisted there is "no chance" of an Assembly executive being formed without an actual handover of weapons by the IRA.
The document is a party record of a meeting at Stormont between the Assembly group and security minister Adam Ingram nine days before the Omagh bomb.
According to the minutes, Mr Ingram said an escalation of violence could make political progress "impossible".
The UUP today confirmed the authenticity of the minutes and said the Assembly group's position had been even more strongly reaffirmed at a meeting on Wednesday.
At the meeting on August 6 senior UUP talks negotiator Reg Empey told Mr Ingram: "No one has done more for the process than David Trimble and the UUP but no more can be done by us.
"As things stand at present the UUP would not endorse the Agreement and there is no chance of the executive being formed."
His talks team partner Dermot Nesbitt was reported as "livid" with the Government and said: "Sinn Fein must be told that the process will move on without them."
North Antrim Assembly member James Leslie said: "We require something to show our electorate who had faith in us."
Newry and Armagh member Danny Kennedy warned that in the absence of a handover of weapons by the IRA there would be no further movement by the UUP.
East Londonderry member Pauline Armitage said the Republican movement was setting the agenda and the Government needed to act quickly to restore confidence in the unionist community.
And West Tyrone member Derek Hussey said: "Sinn Fein are getting what they want without delivering anything."
Other unionists at the meeting argued there was an "absolute requirement" for decommissioning before an executive could be formed.
Mr Ingram is quoted as saying if prisoner releases are not implemented, the Agreement would collapse.
Mr Empey said today: "The significant thing is that we were saying these things even before Omagh."
The minutes were disclosed as UUP leader David Trimble told the New Statesman magazine his party could not work with Sinn Fein if it was not prepared to decommission.
But DUP Justice spokesman Ian Paisley junior today lambasted the Ulster Unionists for, he said. giving the appearance they had "got tough" on
decommissioning.
"Decommissioning has been pigeon-holed because they have signed up to an Agreement which does not deliver decommissioning, only the intention to decommission,"he said.
"The Ulster Unionists have absolutely no credibility after telling people they wouldn't sit down and negotiate with Sinn Fein without decommissioning - and that never happened.
"The truth is they are handcuffed to Sinn Fein. They made the deal and they cannot pretend now to be threatening to wreck it," Mr Paisley jnr added.
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0300
Published Date: 28-Aug-98
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