News

Peace talks take place at Hillsborough

Thursday, 4 July 2002 21:36

The British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, has said that the Sinn Féin leadership is serious about trying to make the Northern Ireland peace process work.

Mr Blair was speaking after talks with the Taoiseach and the pro-Agreement parties at Hillsborough Castle.

Earlier this evening, the Ulster Unionist leader, David Trimble, gave the Irish and British governments a deadline of the end of the month to produce proposals on how to deal with paramilitary violence.

Mr Trimble added that the two governments had to recreate confidence and do it quickly. He said that, otherwise, there would be a very serious problem.

The SDLP and Sinn Féin criticised Mr Trimble's stance. The Sinn Féin national chairman, Mitchel McLaughlin, said it was difficult to reconcile Mr Trimble's stated commitment to the Good Friday Agreement with what he called "this brinkmanship."

The SDLP leader, Mark Durkan said people should not be threatening to walk away from the institutions.

The talks at Hillsborough Castle involving the Taoiseach, the British Prime Minister and the pro-Agreement parties were aimed at forestalling another crisis in the peace process as the marching season reaches its peak and street violence escalates.

Earlier today the SDLP said Republican and Loyalist politicians need to take responsibility for street disturbances and do much more to restrain their supporters.

Unionists have been demanding action against Sinn Féin over allegations that the IRA has been breaching its ceasefire. But Republicans have accused the Unionists of raising the issue for their own political ends.