The Northern Secretary, Peter Mandelson, has formally set out the schedule for Northern Irish devolution. In a Commons statement, Mr Mandelson said he planned to call a meeting of the Northern Assembly on Monday, 29 November, for the purpose of nominating ministers in the new executive. He said that assuming ministers were nominated, Parliament would be invited to approve a Devolution Order on the following day, 30 November. Powers would then be transferred to the devolved executive on 2 December.
He said he believed that when the institutions were established, decommissioning would happen as a natural and essential development of the peace process. Mr Mandelson said the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries should appoint their representatives to the Decommissioning Commission within hours of devolution.
He also warned that the two governments stop the process if any side defaulted. Mr Mandelson said a great responsibility rested with Saturday's meeting of the Ulster Unionist council.
In a statement tonight clarifying Sinn Fein's position on decommissioning, Gerry Adams, said it was an essential part of the peace process. He said all the parties to the Good Friday Agreement have an obligation to help bring about decommissioning and that Sinn Fein was committed to discharging its responsibilities in that regard. Mr Adams said there was no hidden agenda. He said Sinn Fein's public position was its private position. Earlier, the Sinn Fein negotiator, Martin McGuinness said that the default scenario presented by Mr Mandelson was outside the Good Friday Agreement and Sinn Fein was opposed to one being introduced.
The Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble, told the Commons the basis now existed to proceed on both devolution and decommissioning, but he stressed the one depended on the other. He said that without decommissioning, devolution would not survive, if only because the position of his party would become untenable.
His deputy, John Taylor, said there were still many Unionists who feel they are being asked to take a jump in the dark. He said Mr Mandelson had not made clear when he would decide that the IRA had defaulted.
The Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble, has been meeting officials from the party's constituency associations tonight, as he continues his efforts to gain his party's support for the Mitchell proposals. Around 50 people attended the meeting at Stormont this evening. Mr Trimble left without making any comment. The party's ruling council is to vote on the Mitchell recommendations on Saturday. This morning Downing Street did not rule out the possibility that Tony Blair may contact key Unionists over the next few days to try to win their support for the plan.
Ian Paisley has said that the DUP will take its two seats in a Northern Executive and will work to wreck the Republican agenda. Later today, the Northern Secretary, Peter Mandelson, will brief MPs at Westminster this on his proposed timetable for devolution.
