DUP PLANS TO CONFRONT CLINTON
DUP plans to confront Clinton
By MERVYN PAULEY
DUP politicians plan to confront US President Bill Clinton today during the first engagement of his day-long Ulster visit.
Forthright exchanges are expected when Mr Clinton goes to Stormont to greet members of the new 108-seater Assembly.
Each party will be given the opportunity to meet him after he has private talks with First Minister David Trimble and his deputy, Seamus Mallon.
DUP Assemblyman Ian Paisley Jnr said yesterday a party delegation would give the President a no-nonsense assessment of the current situation and Gerry Adams' "violence must end" statement.
The DUP has dismissed the statement as a "carefully choreographed" ploy to please London and Washington and attacked Mr Trimble over the convening of a meeting of all party leaders in the Assembly on Monday.
With the Sinn Fein chief expected to attend the Stormont round-table talks, called to discuss Assembly structures
and the controversial issue of the shadow executive, the DUP made it clear it will boycott the exercise.
Party leader the Rev Ian Paisley confirmed the stay-away stance. "I am going to give Mr Trimble no cover to do the dirty deed of getting IRA/Sinn Fein into the government of Northern Ireland," he declared.
He dismissed the upbeat mood in the wake of the Adams' statement, saying the war was not over and would not be until the IRA got rid of its weapons. He did not believe there would be any action on decommissioning.
UK Unionist deputy leader Cedric Wilson said his party would consider the invitation to Monday's meeting.
An Ulster Unionist spokesman rounded on the DUP, accusing the party of "crass hypocrisy" in its approach to Sinn Fein.
"The DUP sits with Sinn Fein on the standing orders committee of the Assembly," he said. "Monday's meeting is largely a procedural exercise ahead of the resumption of the Assembly the following week. Mr Trimble and deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon were required to call it."
A spokesman for Mr Trimble insisted there was no chance of a private head-to-head meeting between the UUP chief and Mr Adams.
"The First Minister and other party representatives can be expected to put the need for decommissioning forcefully to Adams," he said. "Ulster Unionists require a start on the arms issue before Sinn Fein can be considered for government."
DUP secretary Nigel Dodds claimed that Monday's meeting was "the prelude to Trimble sitting down and working with Adams and McGuinness in government".
By MERVYN PAULEY
DUP politicians plan to confront US President Bill Clinton today during the first engagement of his day-long Ulster visit.
Forthright exchanges are expected when Mr Clinton goes to Stormont to greet members of the new 108-seater Assembly.
Each party will be given the opportunity to meet him after he has private talks with First Minister David Trimble and his deputy, Seamus Mallon.
DUP Assemblyman Ian Paisley Jnr said yesterday a party delegation would give the President a no-nonsense assessment of the current situation and Gerry Adams' "violence must end" statement.
The DUP has dismissed the statement as a "carefully choreographed" ploy to please London and Washington and attacked Mr Trimble over the convening of a meeting of all party leaders in the Assembly on Monday.
With the Sinn Fein chief expected to attend the Stormont round-table talks, called to discuss Assembly structures
and the controversial issue of the shadow executive, the DUP made it clear it will boycott the exercise.
Party leader the Rev Ian Paisley confirmed the stay-away stance. "I am going to give Mr Trimble no cover to do the dirty deed of getting IRA/Sinn Fein into the government of Northern Ireland," he declared.
He dismissed the upbeat mood in the wake of the Adams' statement, saying the war was not over and would not be until the IRA got rid of its weapons. He did not believe there would be any action on decommissioning.
UK Unionist deputy leader Cedric Wilson said his party would consider the invitation to Monday's meeting.
An Ulster Unionist spokesman rounded on the DUP, accusing the party of "crass hypocrisy" in its approach to Sinn Fein.
"The DUP sits with Sinn Fein on the standing orders committee of the Assembly," he said. "Monday's meeting is largely a procedural exercise ahead of the resumption of the Assembly the following week. Mr Trimble and deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon were required to call it."
A spokesman for Mr Trimble insisted there was no chance of a private head-to-head meeting between the UUP chief and Mr Adams.
"The First Minister and other party representatives can be expected to put the need for decommissioning forcefully to Adams," he said. "Ulster Unionists require a start on the arms issue before Sinn Fein can be considered for government."
DUP secretary Nigel Dodds claimed that Monday's meeting was "the prelude to Trimble sitting down and working with Adams and McGuinness in government".
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/127
Published Date: 03-Sep-98
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