DUP to target Trimble seat at next election

The DUP's Peter Robinson has said that they aim to win eight seats at the next Westminster election, including that of the Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble. Addressing their annual conference in Enniskillen, the party leader Reverend Ian Paisley called on Mr Trimble to step down and said that Unionists should unite to defeat the Good Friday Agreement.

The DUP issued a rallying call to anti-Agreement Unionists, boosted by their victory in the South Antrim by-election and the recent recruitment of some members from other parties. With a British general election possibly within six months, the party's deputy leader Peter Robinson said that they expected to hold their three seats and to target five other constituencies held by Ulster Unionists. This includes the Upper Bann seat of David Trimble.

Mr Trimble came in for heavy criticism from most of the speakers. Ian Paisley indicted him for what he called "his treachery over the Good Friday Agreement". Mr Paisley called on traditional Unionists to come together in order to stop what he called "the downgrade to a united Ireland". By coincidence he was speaking in the same conference room where the controversial meeting of North-South Ministers of Health took place a fortnight ago.

Meanwhile in Belfast the Women's Coalition was holding its annual conference. Party leader Monica McWilliams called on the First Minister and his Deputy to call an urgent meeting of pro-Agreement parties to tackle the crisis over the implementation of the Patten Report.