Blair asks Unionists to look favourably on legislation

The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, today appealed to unionists to look favourably on proposed legislation aimed at reassuring them about the formation of a Northern executive. The proposed legislation is expected to be published tomorrow, ahead of next Thursday's deadline for setting up the executive. Mr Blair also said he would try to ensure that any amendments to the Bill proposed by the Unionists would be incorporated into the proposed legislation. This offer was described as "outrageous" by the Sinn Féin Assembly member Bairbre de Brun. She claimed it amounted to "a slap in the face to those parties who had negotiated in good faith and honoured their commitments".

David Trimble has said there is still no indication that the paramilitary groups are ready to start giving up their weapons. He said he would examine the British Government legislation to see if it was fair or not, but he had not been encouraged by what he had heard about it so far. Speaking in a BBC interview today, Tony Blair said there is little more he can do to help the northern peace process if politicians fail to break the deadlock over decommissioning. Mr Blair said he had taken the process as far possible and it was up to the northern politicians to strike a deal. He also said he was confident that a deal can be reached by the Thursday deadline.

The SDLP leader John Hume has said he is convinced that Sinn Féin is committed to peace, that they are working to take the gun out of Irish politics, and that the cease-fires proved this. Speaking on RTE's This Week programme, he said his party would not sit in government with any party engaged in violence or threatening violence. Mr Hume said that if the International Commission identified a problem with decommissioning, then the institutions would be suspended and the peace process would be reviewed. He was responding to calls from the Ulster Unionist Leader David Trimble for the SDLP to act as gurantors for the removal of Sinn Féin from the executive if decommissioning does not take place. However Mr Hume said any problems with decommissioning would be dealt with by the international commission and that process should not be pre-judged.

In an interview in the Sunday Times today, David Trimble said Thursday's deadline for triggering the d'Hont mechanism to appoint the new Northern Ireland executive will have to be postponed. He said the Ulster Unionist Party intended to take its time because of the issues at stake. Mr Trimble said his party would back the proposals put forward by the two Governments if the SDLP leader, John Hume, promised to guarantee that Sinn Féin would be expelled from the North's Executive if the IRA did not hand over weapons. He said it was time for the SDLP to "stop sitting on the fence".

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, had an hour-long meeting with a delegation from the Ulster Unionist Party in Dublin today. The delegation included party leader David Trimble and his deputy Ken McGuinness, along with other party members. A Goverment spokesperson described it as part of the ongoing process of consultation. Mr Ahern said today that he has been in constant contact this weekend with the parties to the Northern talks. The Taoiseach spoke to the Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams yesterday and is due to talk to Tony Blair later today. This afternoon Mr Ahern said there had not been as much contact since the Good Friday Agreement. Responding to David Trimble's statement that Thursday's deadline will have to be postponed the Taoiseach said he did not get the sense that that is what people want.