News

Opposition call for renewed talks

Tuesday, 21 October 2003 20:10

The Opposition leaders have called for renewed efforts by the two governments and all the Northern parties to ensure that recent progress does not unravel.

FG leader Enda Kenny has said that the suspension of the agreed sequence of statements in the North political process is 'disappointing and worrying'.

Mr Kenny said that today's events suggest that the level of trust between the republican movement and the Ulster Unionists remains 'fragile'.

He said 'it is incumbent on both governments to ensure that whatever agreements or understandings were reached between the parties in recent weeks are honoured in full'.

He also called on the parties involved to 'renew their efforts at reaching a conclusion rather than engaging in any recrimination which could damage trust even further'.

Separately, Labour leader Pat Rabitte said that 'every effort must be made, in the interests of all the people of this island, to resolve the apparent difficulties that have arisen in the management of the process designed to lead to the restoration of democratic institutions in Northern Ireland'.

Mr Rabitte said that 'the problems must be resolved, and the onus is clearly on the republican movement to make the necessary gesture to allow the IICD to report with full clarity'.

Green party leader Trevor Sargent said the process had now gone too far to be derailed by a last minute hitch, and he said he still had hope that between General De Chastalain, the IRA, Sinn Fein and the UUP some solution could be found.