The deputy leader of the SDLP has called on Sinn Féin and the Ulster Unionists to consider broader definitions of decommissioning than an actual arms hand-over. Seamus Mallon was speaking as talks resumed between the Northern parties in London, where the Mitchell review has entered its final phase. Senator Mitchell has been holding further talks with representatives of the Northern parties in an attempt to find common ground on the issue of the formation of an executive and a start to decommissioning.
Before the talks resumed today, a group of Ulster Unionist MPs issued a statement warning Senator Mitchell that they will resist any attempt to force them to back down from their refusal to set up an executive with Sinn Féin until IRA decommissioning has started. The statement from the group of senior members of the Ulster Unionist Party, including former party leader Lord Molyneaux and hard-line MP Jeffrey Donaldson, spoke of "enormous pressure" being applied by the review process for them to back down.
Speaking in Scotland this morning, UUP leader David Trimble said that a statement yesterday on decommissioning by Gerry Adams "did not amount to anything substantial". Mr Trimble said that, if more time were needed to get a deal, then everybody should be patient. That is increasingly unlikely to happen. There are now indications that if no agreement is likely by the end of this week, a decision will be made to wind up this round of talks.
The review resumed in London, after the Sinn Féin President indicated that his party might be prepared to compromise on decommissioning, but has also called on Unionists to change their stance. In what some have interpreted as a positive statement, Gerry Adams said they would not be dogmatic in their dealings with Ulster Unionists, who have repeated their “no guns, no government” stance. The deputy leader of the SDLP, Seamus Mallon, warned that faith in the process has diminished and it would become increasingly difficult to restore if progress was not made soon.
David Trimble said that the statement on decommissioning by Gerry Adams did not amount to anything substantial. The First Minister said, looking at it closely, he could not find much in it to respond to. Mr Trimble said that they were engaged in discussions and that they should focus on those discussions rather than anything for the purposes of obtaining publicity. In his speech, Mr Trimble said that the obvious compromise between the Ulster Unionist and Sinn Féin positions seemed to be to jump together and to start decommissioning by paramilitaries and the establishment of an Executive on the same day. However, that offer had yet to be accepted and they had still to receive any real undertaking that decommissioning would occur at all. Mr Trimble said that he was willing to move forward and was indeed enthusiastic.
Sinn Féin Chairman, Mitchell McLaughlin, said that his party would do their best during the remaining days, but it was hard to be optimistic about the review. Mr McLaughlin said it was clear that, if the Ulster Unionists did not move away from what he said were their unachievable demands that did not form any part of the Good Friday agreement, then there was little likelihood of success. He said the UUP demands are simply “not do-able”, and described the atmosphere at the London meetings last week as better, but said the fact remained that there had been no progress.
At the same time as he was making what seemed to be positive statements yesterday, Gerry Adams warned that there was increasing disappointment with the lack of progress over implementing the Good Friday agreement. Without its main provisions being implemented, he said the gap between the Unionists' demand for IRA decommissioning and what was achievable on the issue appeared to be too wide to be bridge. Mr Adams also acknowledged that Republicans had inflicted hurt and that the Unionist community had suffered, as everyone had and he added that he regretted this.
His comments came shortly after the Taoiseach had appealed to politicians in the North to show “moral courage, leadership and responsibility”. The SDLP welcomed the language used in Gerry Adams' statement and the PUP's David Ervine described it as intriguing. The SDLP talks negotiator and Assembly member, Sean Farren, said that Mr Adams's apparent willingness to compromise would have to be translated into action.
