I have seven demands says Unionist rebel

A dissident Ulster Unionist has tabled seven demands before agreeing to back party leader David Trimble’s bid to be re-elected Northern Ireland First Minister, it emerged today.

But Pauline Armitage conceded, as she prepared to meet decommissioning chief General de Chastelain to get more detail on the IRA’s weapons move, that she could still support Mr Trimble in Friday’s crucial Assembly poll.

The East Derry MLA said: ‘‘I have a list of seven things and if I achieve three or four of them I would probably back him.’’

The UUP leader needs majority backing from both unionists and nationalists in Friday’s vital vote if he is to be returned to the head of the power-sharing cabinet.

Although failure would plunge the devolved institutions into a fresh crisis, Ms Armitage and fellow renegade Ulster Unionist MLA Peter Weir have so far refused to fall in behind Mr Trimble.

They were meeting General de Chastelain in Belfast today in a bid to get more clarity on the disarmament process which the IRA last week announced that it had started.

Ms Armitage refused to go into detail about what she had put to the party leadership, other than to say none of her requests has yet been met.

She also claimed there was more chance she could be talked into backing Mr Trimble than that Mr Weir could.

Referring to the party’s decision to de-select Mr Weir from contesting the North Down Westminster seat, she said: ‘‘If they are going to persuade anybody it’s going to be me.

‘‘I don’t have the personal problems with Trimble that I think Peter has.

‘‘It’s David Trimble’s policies I don’t like; we are almost in a united Ireland.’’

The Ulster Unionist leadership is understood to have made overtures to Ms Armitage in the last few days after the party’s ruling executive passed a motion calling on all 28 of its MLAs to support a return to government with Sinn Fein following the IRA’s arms move.

But Ms Armitage refused to divulge what was said during negotiations, insisting: ‘‘Any conversations I had were in confidence.’’