Lion in winter shows no sign of thawing out

AS the Reverend Ian Paisley strode out of Government Buildings yesterday after his historic visit to Dublin, he was reminiscent of the lion in winter.

He was gaunt, frail and his voice hoarse, diminished from the larger-than-life figure of old. Yet, he had not lost his roar.

Some suggest his iron grip of the party he personifies may be on the wane. But as he passed through the Merrion Street gates yesterday, he emphatically put lie to that supposition, placing himself at the centre of things.

When reporters welcomed him to Dublin, he considered it for a moment, turned and uttered a classic Paisleyism: "Whenever Ulster issues are being discussed they could not do without Ian Paisley."

As it turned out, the first meeting went over by an hour and was, according to both sides, cordial and "useful".

"It was a useful meeting," Mr Paisley said. "We did not fall out. We agreed to differ on many things and we also dealt with the issues that we should be dealing with."

Asked if he now had a good relationship with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, he kicked for touch, saying it would be a better question to put to Mr Ahern.

The Taoiseach referred to earlier, and less cordial, encounters with Dr Paisley in Dublin and elsewhere.

"Although I met Dr Paisley in this building before, it was in a different capacity," he said.

"I was very glad that we met today in a political context and greatly appreciated his decision to make this journey to Dublin."

Mr Ahern said the meeting had been an "important confidence-building step". He said he was more certain than ever that the DUP did not want to change the fundamentals of the Good Friday Agreement.

But Mr Paisley left people in no doubt there were still many issues to be resolved. He said the IRA needs to relinquish its guns for good. "There is no evidence to suggest that there is any IRA offer on the table at the present time."

On the crux issue of ministerial accountability that led to the Leeds Castle talks breaking down, Dr Paisley reiterated his view that if there is any mutual cross-Border cooperation, "it's essential that any relationship is accountable to the people of Northern Ireland through their elected representatives".