Anti-agreement unionists 'adding to problems'

The rhetoric of unionists opposed to the Good Friday Agreement has contributed to the problems experienced by their communities at street level in Northern Ireland, Stormont First Minister David Trimble claimed today.

The Ulster Unionist leader told a breakfast meeting in Manhattan - attended by members of New York’s business and legal community - that the problem of unionist alienation from the peace process needed to be addressed.

Mr Trimble, who addressed the gathering along with Deputy First Minister Mark Durkan, said:

‘‘There are people who are formally anti-Agreement who take part in the administration and the assembly and participate fully there, but still maintain a high degree of anti-Agreement rhetoric.

‘‘That is having an effect of keeping a significant segment of the population to some extent alienated from the process and marginalised.

‘We have seen the consequence of that with problems at a street level but I do not want to give the impression that they are solely responsible for confrontations on a street level.’’

Mr Trimble said there was tensions on both sides of the divide in sectarian interfaced areas.

There were also social and economic problems which needed to be addressed.

The Northern Ireland Executive was trying to address those issues and diffuse tensions, he said.

But he added that work would be much better facilitated if they were: ‘‘operating in a more favourable economic climate’’.

The First Minister also acknowledged that Northern Ireland faced a significant challenge from former paramilitaries.

He observed: ‘‘There’s still some continuing problems, particularly arising out of the consequences of the existence of paramilitary organisations.

‘‘There is an issue around what you do with private armies when the war is over.

‘‘Paramilitaries have had difficulties with change in peace time. Some look back with nostalgia.

‘‘Some want to go back to conflict again. Some want to continue their existence as racketeering gangs.

‘‘Still there is a problem there. There is a problem with other paramilitaries who do not like the idea of peace because it deprives them of the power and status they once had.’’

Mr Trimble claimed Northern Ireland and the UK was lagging behind other countries in Europe and the United States in dealing with organised crime and said he would prefer to see the Government introduce legislation which would use information obtained by phone tapping in court cases against criminals.