Blair moves to stabilise peace process

Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair was today planning a fresh push to stabilise the Northern Ireland peace process in the wake of David Trimble’s threatened resignation as Northern Ireland First Minister.

Mr Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said after a round of discussions with the province’s pro-Good Friday Agreement parties that a new bid to break the deadlock in the peace process will begin next week.

It would be followed by further intense discussions.

Mr Trimble announced yesterday that he expected to quit his post on Sunday in the absence of IRA decommissioning after talks at Hillsborough ended without a breakthrough.

‘‘If, as I expect, I vacate the office on Sunday there will then be no First Minister,’’ the Ulster Unionist leader said.

‘‘There will be no First Minister, there will be no Deputy First Minister and that will be the position up until there is a fresh election (in the Stormont Assembly).’’

Speaking after the talks, Mr Blair said: ‘‘The outstanding issues are still there. I think you all know them very well indeed.

‘‘They have to be dealt with. There is no other solution than to sitting down and working out the problems that remain in order that they are dealt with so that every single aspect of the Good Friday Agreement is implemented.

‘‘The recent election results in Northern Ireland show that people actually support the institutions of the Good Friday Agreement.

‘‘But they want the agreement in all of its aspects to be implemented and they want to know that we will have a government in Northern Ireland, based in Northern Ireland, representative of all of the communities in Northern Ireland dedicated to a peaceful and democratic process for resolving any differences that there are.’’

The Prime Minister said the two governments remained optimistic about the prospect for an agreement because all the parties were dedicated to ensuring the agreement worked.

He refused to contemplate suspending the Northern Ireland political institutions in the wake of David Trimble’s threatened resignation.

In a direct appeal to the IRA on the weapons issue, he said: ‘‘It is absolutely essential if we are to have a stable process in Northern Ireland that weapons are put beyond use, that there is a commitment to exclusively peaceful and democratic means.’’

A tough-talking Mr Trimble said he expected a report from the Independent International Commission on Decommissioning to surface today confirming no movement on IRA decommissioning.

He said the challenge to the British and Irish governments was: ‘‘What are you going to do in response to this?’’

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams and his party emerged from talks insisting that decommissioning was not solely the responsibility of republicans.

In a reference to policing legislation and moves on demilitarisation, Mr Adams accused the Government of destroying the deal reached last May with the IRA to put its weapons beyond use.

He also warned the British and Irish governments that the suspension of the political institutions in response to Mr Trimble’s resignation would be ‘‘an absolute folly’’.

With loyalist paramilitaries engaged in daily violence and police warnings that they have developed a deadly new pipe bomb, there is concern that there is no mood for compromise on the arms issue among the paramilitaries.

Stormont Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon, who will also be forced out of office with Mr Trimble’s resignation, said: ‘‘There has got to be a very serious approach taken immediately by the two governments and all of the political parties so that we can begin to deal with the seriousness of this problem.

‘‘But let’s make no mistake about it, this is a serious political problem. It is a serious problem on the ground and some of the political parties are playing with people’s well-being and the well-being of the Agreement.’’