IRA and loyalists must give up more weapons - Trimble

There must be more IRA disarmament if Northern Ireland’s political institutions are to be made stable, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said today.

As his party gathered for its annual conference in Belfast’s Waterfront Hall, the Northern Ireland First Minister claimed the IRA’s move last month had revitalised hopes of permanent devolved government in the North.

But he warned republicans not to make the mistake of thinking it was as a one-off gesture.

Urging loyalist paramilitaries also to disarm, Mr Trimble argued in a Belfast newspaper that Ulster Unionists were ‘‘well advanced on the road to seeing our twin objectives of devolution and decommissioning.

‘‘Of course, October 23 was just the beginning. We will continue to press all the paramilitaries about their responsibilities.

‘‘It is time loyalism matched the IRA move. But if republicanism thinks a one-off will do, it is wrong.

‘‘Those arms still out there represent a massive threat to public safety. But if we are genuinely going to take all the weapons out of Irish politics, democrats must stand together.’’

Mr Trimble sounded his warning after UUP hardliners succeeded in securing a meeting of the 860-member ruling council on December 1.

The anti-Good Friday Agreement wing of the party is hoping to use the council meeting to tie the UUP’s future participation in the power sharing government at Stormont into further IRA disarmament.

Today’s party conference brings the UUP hierarchy face to face with its critics just eight days after the disciplinary action taken against two rogue UUP Assembly members, Peter Weir and Pauline Armitage for opposing David Trimble’s attempts to return as First Minister at Stormont.

In today’s newspaper article, Mr Trimble told his critics inside and outside the UUP it would have been ‘‘hypocritical and politically stupid’’ for his party to fail to acknowledge the ‘‘long-overdue’’ move by the IRA on decommissioning.

‘‘Of course, the IRA’s behind-the-door start to decommissioning was in marked contrast to the festival of demilitarisation laid on for the media by the Briitish government,’’ he told them.

‘‘But who made decommissioning happen? Who refused to let decommissioning drop? Who developed a consensus on the issue? Who created a crisis in the institutions? Who was prepared to redesign the ministries? Who made the Provos show a bit of respect to the institutions?

‘‘It was the Ulster Unionist Party. No action by the (Rev Ian Paisley’s) DUP brought it about.’’