UUP to ‘reject any blueprint for peace’

DAVID TRIMBLE’S Ulster Unionist Party would have rejected the British and Irish Governments’ blueprint for future progress in the peace process, it was claimed yesterday.

As British Prime Minister Tony Blair prepares for talks with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern next Tuesday following the postponement of elections to the Stormont Assembly, London and Dublin were warned that the internal difficulties facing David Trimble are much greater than they anticipated.

Hardline Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson described the joint declaration as a “Sinn Féin charter” and said that there was no way the party’s ruling executive would support the document.

The joint declaration was released on Thursday after Mr Blair decided to delay the poll scheduled for May 29 until at least the autumn because of the IRA’s failure to declare an end to its campaign.

The document confirmed year-by-year plans to scale down security and transfer policing and justice powers to Stormont, as well as offering an amnesty to fugitive republicans wanted for questioning for terrorist crimes, some going back more than 25 years.

Mr Blair said Mr Trimble was prepared to sign up to a deal if the republican movement had been clearer about its future commitment to purely peaceful means. But Mr Donaldson claimed the document undermined the rule of law.

With the Provisional IRA refusing to yield to demands for the sort of cast-iron guarantee which it believed was critical for long-term peace and stability, the IRA’s insistence that there would be no activities to undermine the Agreement fell well short of what Mr Blair wanted.

It is the second time the election has been put on hold.

It was first planned for May 1, but then delayed to give the governments more time to come up with a blueprint on the way forward, including proposals for the IRA to effectively wind up.

Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams yesterday urged republicans to take to the streets of Northern Ireland in protest at the decision to postpone the election.

“What I am calling on people to do on May 29 is to demonstrate our right to vote; our right to choose parties; our right to elect those who we want to represent us,” he said.

“It isn’t up to anyone at all, individual, prime minister, Taoiseach, party leader to prevent that.”

Mr Adams said sections of the two governments’ joint declaration should be implemented immediately.

“They are as worthless as the Good Friday Agreement itself if they remain simply words on paper. I want to see, and I think most people would want to see, the implementation of this joint declaration.”