Unionists may quit over peace plans

SENIOR Ulster Unionists have warned they may quit the party over British and Irish Government plans for the peace process because they undermine basic unionist principles, it was claimed yesterday.

UUP honorary secretary Arlene Foster brushed off claims by former Stormont minister Michael McGimpsey that anti-Good Friday Agreement unionists are blackmailing the party by threatening to leave if their ruling council later this month does not reject the document. On

Saturday, Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he would have to walk out of the party if the 900-member Ulster Unionist Council failed to reject on June 16 London and Dublin’s proposals for the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

In a bitter riposte, former Stormont culture minister Michael McGimpsey accused UUP hardliners of misinforming the public about the joint declaration and of trying to blackmail the council.

Arlene Foster, a party officer, responded yesterday said: “The reason why Jeffrey said what he said was that he was trying to show just how important the UUC vote on June 16 is for the future of our party. We believe the joint declaration challenges basic unionist principles.

“Council members have to make up their own minds and can come to the UUC meeting in Belfast and debate it,” she said.

“But I and others believe this document is as important as the Belfast Agreement and it should be rejected.”

The British and Irish Governments released their blueprint for the future implementation of the Good Friday Agreement last month despite their failure to persuade the IRA to make any clear commitment to ending paramilitary activity.

Assembly elections which were scheduled for May 29 in Northern Ireland were also cancelled.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern have nevertheless vowed to press ahead with the implementation of those sections of the joint declaration which are not dependent on acts of completion from the IRA.

The document outlines action on a range of issues from the scaling-down of the British Army presence to urther police reform, and to a scheme to enable fugitive IRA suspects to return to Northern Ireland to a sanctions body for parties in default of the Good Friday Agreement.

Its release and claims that the Royal Irish Regiment’s home battalions could be axed have prompted UUP hardliners to reconvene their ruling council to reject the plan.

Mr McGimpsey accused colleagues on Monday of trying to precipitate a crisis in the party.

“I am deeply resentful of the attempted blackmail of the Ulster Unionist Party with threats to quit. No individual is bigger than the party,” he said.

“I believe the party will reject attempts to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on June 16.”

The south Belfast councillor also rejected claims that the proposed sanctions body in the joint declaration would give the Irish Government a say over the running of the Assembly.

“The sanctions body can only recommend a course of action. The final say rests with the Secretary of State (Paul Murphy),” he said.

“Furthermore, if the Secretary of State feels that the sanctions body has not responded in an adequate manner, he can take unilateral disciplinary action. There is no role for the Irish Government in the Assembly.”

Mrs Foster hit back, insisting Dublin did have a role.