The Sinn Fein president has accused the Northern Secretary of undermining his discussions with the IRA to try to resolve the decommissioning issue. Mr Adams described as 'disgraceful' remarks by Mr. Mandelson in the House of Commons last night. He added the Northern Secretary had accused the IRA of betraying the peace process at a time when the Sinn Féin leadership was actually talking to the IRA. However, Mr Adams said that he still had hope of fending off the looming crisis.
The North's First Minister has been meeting senior Ulster Unionist colleagues in Belfast. Although David Trimble's self-imposed resignation deadline expires today, the party is likely to support his remaining in office because of the delay in implementing the suspension legislation at Westminster.
Mr Trimble is due to face another crucial meeting of the party's 860 member ruling council tomorrow week and senior officials said it was hard to see how they would be satisfied with less than actual weapons decommissioning by the IRA. Ulster Unionist Assembly member, Alan McFarland, said that the ball was now firmly in Sinn Féin's court.
However, the Sinn Féin Chairman, Mitchel McLaughlin, has accused the Ulster Unionists of blackmailing the British government into suspending the power-sharing executive. He said that the aim of the parties should be to create the conditions that would inspire voluntary decommissioning by the IRA.
