Blair agrees to hold North crisis talks

Updated: 22:14, Friday, 14 June 2002

The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has agreed to take part in crisis talks with the Government here and Northern Ireland pro-Good Friday Agreement parties to rescue the peace process.

David Trimble, Questioned Sinn Féin leadership David Trimble, Questioned Sinn Féin leadership

The request was made by the North's First Minister, David Trimble, on the fringes of the British/Irish Council meeting in Jersey.

No date has been set, but it is expected the meeting will take place within days.

Mr Trimble is due to meet his 110-member executive in Belfast tomorrow; he is under pressure to impose sanctions on Sinn Fein following recent allegations that the IRA had been testing weapons in Colombia.

Earlier, the North's First Minister said that Tony Blair must move to restore confidence in the peace process. David Trimble's call follows claims that the IRA is continuing to develop new weapons in Colombia.

Mr Trimble said that the allegation put a big question mark over the intentions of the Republican movement and over the Sinn Féin leadership. The claim was made yesterday by unnamed security sources to the BBC.

Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin said that the IRA had already announced that it did not send anyone to Colombia and that it was not involved in training FARC guerrillas.

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