A senior Ulster Unionist has said Sinn Féin could be in cabinet within hours after the beginning of decommissioning. The party's security spokesman in the Assembly, Michael McGimpsey, said the Ulster Unionists were not trying to make difficulties for Republicans. He said Sinn Féin's places on the executive committee were "absolutely guaranteed" and that if decommissioning started at ten in the morning they could be in cabinet by six in the evening.
Meanwhile, Sinn Féin has said devolution to a new administration must take place by March 10, as promised by the Northern Secretary, Mo Mowlam. The party's Chief Whip, Alex Maskey, said the North's First Minister, David Trimble, cannot be allowed to enforce continuously a veto over progress by what he described as unrealistic demands. He was speaking after Dr Mowlam confirmed there may be a delay beyond the March 10 deadline.
Speaking this morning, Dr Mowlam confirmed that she may delay transferring power to a new administration for a few weeks. She said she still regarded March 10 as the target date, but added that she would be consulting with the parties. Dr Mowlam said that she did not want any party to feel that it had a veto over progress.
The Ulster Unionist Assembly group has dismissed a suggestion from the Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon that a form of words on decommissioning or a timetable for the disposal of arms would deal adequately with the weapons issue.
In a separate development, two hard-line Loyalist paramilitary groups opposed to the Good Friday Agreement were outlawed tonight by the Northern Secretary, Mo Mowlam. They are the Orange Volunteers and the Red Hand Defenders. The order proscribing them comes into effect from midnight. Both organisations have been linked to a series of mainly sectarian attacks in various parts of the North in recent months, including the murders of a north Belfast Catholic and an RUC officer at an Orange demonstration in Portadown. At the same time Doctor Mowlam said she had accepted the INLA's six month old ceasefire was genuine and its members would be eligible to join the prisoner early release scheme.
