Paisley rejects SF nomination as first minister

THE reconvened Stormont Assembly broke up in acrimony yesterday following a 12-minute session during which the Reverend Ian Paisley refused to accept Sinn Féin’s nomination as first minister.

The DUP leader rejected the move with a defiant “certainly not” after the Speaker put Sinn Féin president Gerry Adam’s proposal to him.

The DUP called the bid a cheap stunt by Sinn Féin, which would have seen the party’s chief negotiator Martin McGuinness installed as Deputy First Minister.

Speaking after the sitting, Dr Paisley said the IRA was too committed to criminality for his party to share power with Republicans.

“The answer of Ulster is ‘no’. There is no place in any government in the United Kingdom for those wedded to terrorism,” Mr Paisley said.

“The charade is over. We are glad this charade is over. We are coming down to the reality of the situation.

“Are we going to have in the government of Northern Ireland those who are terrorists, those that condoned and even planned murders, who robbed banks, who committed criminal acts and who will not support the police?” he asked.

Mr Adams said he was not surprised by Mr Paisley’s reaction.

“No is better than never, never, never,” the West Belfast MP said.

“What you saw there was an effort by us to get the formation of an executive. We will return to this with all speed,” he added.

Mr Adams claimed the DUP could only say no a few more times before the British government had to act on its promise to wind-up the Assembly if no cross-community Executive was agreed.

A plan by Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey to set-up a committee of prominent Assembly members to discuss how to restore power-sharing was also rejected.

SDLP leader Mark Durkan said the session of the Assembly had been a “non-event”.