John Hume, 'current stalemate frustrating'
The SDLP leader John Hume has said that the North's politicians have never been closer to resolving Northern Ireland's long conflict. Mr Hume told his party's annual conference the current stalemate was deeply frustrating, but he said that he believed Senator George Mitchell's review would result in agreement on how to proceed.
The SDLP leader, who is recovering after major surgery, was applauded warmly before addressing the conference. He said that for too long they had been waiting for the Ulster Unionists and Sinn Féin to reach a pragmatic and workable agreement on the problem of decommissioning and the establishment of an Executive. He said that the issue of paramilitary disarmament had been given far too much significance. Future historians would ask themselves how on earth this matter came to so dominate a political agenda, he said. What really mattered in practical terms was whether violence had actually ended and it had. However, he admitted it was also a matter of trust and for that reason, the developing relationship between the two sides at the Mitchell review was deeply important.
He stressed that the SDLP was eager to play its part in any new Stormont Government, dealing with issues like farming, health and education, and the North/South bodies, once the current deadlock had been overcome. Mr Hume's comments were echoed earlier by the Northern Ireland Secretary, Peter Mandelson, who said that the politicians may yet strike a deal which would allow the peace process to move forward successfully. However, he urged people to be patient.
The Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams briefed his party's Executive today in Dublin on progress with the Mitchell review. The party will meet with Senator Mitchell in Stormont on Monday. Sinn Féin is also seeking a meeting with Stormont Security Minister Adam Ingram to ask him to explain why over 300 army intelligence files containing details on Republicans ended up in Loyalist hands.
