Tributes have been paid to Fermanagh-Tyrone MP, Ken Maginnis, following his decision not to contest the next Westminster election. The Labour leader, Ruairí Quinn said that he had played a positive and constructive role in politics on this island. Foreign Affairs Minister of State, Liz O'Donnell, said that he had been a very valuable asset on the pro-agreement side of the peace talks, particularly at the many difficult junctures throughout that fraught period.
Meanwhile, pro and anti-Agreement members of the Ulster Unionist Party are expected to mount a keen contest for the party's nomination for the seat at the next election. A selection meeting is expected to take place at the end of the month.
Mr Maginnis, who is 62, has held the Fermanagh and South Tyrone seat for the past 18 years. A selection meeting to find a replacement candidate is expected later this month. Mr Maginnis acknowledged that the next election would be closely contested. However, he said that he believed his party's constructive role in the peace process would help it hold on to the seat.
