Trimble spy claims plunge North into deeper crisis

ALLEGATIONS that a civil servant was spying on David Trimble for the IRA plunged the Northern Ireland peace process deeper into crisis last night.

As detectives questioned the former diary secretary in the First Minister's private office at Stormont, unionists and nationalists accused Sinn Féin of betrayal.

Confidence in the power-sharing government was shattered last month when four people were arrested and charged on suspicion of a republican espionage plot inside the Government's main offices in Belfast.

Mr Trimble last night warned the latest arrest could have major repercussions for the already troubled Good Friday Agreement. British Prime Minister Tony Blair who called on the IRA to disband after the original spying allegations forced the Assembly to be suspended is certain to demand answers from the republican movement's leadership. His official spokesman said: "These kinds of allegations are disturbing and they are serious. It is important that the police continue to investigate these allegations and that they pursue the evidence."

The civil servant, who is in his mid-20s and from the Catholic Andersonstown district of West Belfast, was arrested at Castle Buildings inside the Stormont estate.

He was moved there to work for one of Northern Secretary's junior ministers, Ian Pearson, after the devolved institutions were suspended last month.

Mr Murphy informed Mr Trimble and SDLP leader Mark Durkan, the former deputy first minister, hours after the arrest late on Wednesday afternoon. The Northern Secretary is planning to meet Foreign Minister Brian Cowen next week to set a date for multi-party talks in a bid to ease the crisis. However, with the latest allegations putting intense strain on the process, he said: "These are very serious matters and what they are doing, issues like this, is undermining confidence and trust in the process."

The man being questioned worked for Mr Trimble for three months before being transferred to Mr Durkan's office for six months. The SDLP chief last night confirmed the civil servant worked in his private office but cautioned against snap judgments. Senior members of his party feared highly sensitive papers on issues such as policing may have been compromised. Following last month's raids and the recovery of files, four people including Denis Donaldson, head of Sinn Féin's administration at Stormont were charged. Sinn Féin Assembly member Conor Murphy last night denied his party had been engaged in intelligence gathering at Stormont and insisted the latest arrest was part of a security force plot to wreck the peace process: "Many people are also wondering 'Is there a McCarthy-like type of witch-hunt going on against Catholic civil servants who happen to live in nationalist areas?'"

In Dublin, the Government reserved comment saying it was a police matter, but last night Taoiseach Bertie Ahern moved to revive the stalled peace process by re-convening the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation. He announced former Northern Ireland Ombudsman Senator Maurice Hayes will chair new sessions of the Forum for Peace and Reconciliation later this month.

Mr Ahern said this would be part of the wider efforts to promote dialogue between both sides North of the border.