SF slams Trimble's exclusion motion

Sinn Fein has accused UUP leader David Trimble of deliberately trying to wreck the peace process to pursue his own anti-Good Friday Agreement agenda.

Party spokesperson Michelle Gildernew said Mr Trimble is acting irresponsibly in threatening to collapse the Northern Assembly if Sinn Fein is not expelled from government.

"At least David Trimble is being more honest about what he is actually about, which is not only trying to renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement and all of the institutions under it, but trying to wreck the political process," she said.

Ms Gildernew added that the result of Mr Trimble’s actions will be nightly attacks on Catholic civilians throughout the six counties.

Mr Trimble has threatened to bring down the government in the North because of the IRA’s procrastination on decommissioning.

However, Ms Gildernew pointed out that the Ulster Unionists have already rejected an IRA offer to begin disposing of its weapons.

The offer was accepted by the Independent International Commission for Decommissioning, but unionists said it did not go far enough.

"I think the initiatives that have been taken have been very courageous and we have to give the IRA credit for the positions they have taken," Ms Gildernew said, "but nothing at this stage is going to save the agreement as far as David Trimble is concerned because he is determined to bring it down."