Stormont hard-liners could try to oust Sinn Fein

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was today facing his Assembly party at Stormont as speculation mounted that hard-liners might try to force him to drive Sinn Fein out of the government of Northern Ireland.

As Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams also prepared to meet members of his party’s national executive in Dublin and hold talks with the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, Mr Trimble was under pressure to take action against republicans.

Hard-line Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson led calls for the party to join other unionists in the expulsion of Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brun from office after the British government’s warning on paramilitary violence fell short of some party member’s demands.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid signalled in the House of Commons yesterday more ‘‘rigorous’’ standards would be applied in future to the IRA ceasefire.

Dr Reid warned the Provisional IRA he would consider excluding Sinn Fein from the power-sharing government at Stormont if there was evidence of more breaches of the ceasefire.

He told MPs: ‘‘In reviewing the ceasefires, I will give particular weight to any substantiated information that a paramilitary organisation is engaged in training, targeting, acquisition or development of arms or weapons, or any similar preparations for a terrorist campaign in Northern Ireland or elsewhere.

‘‘I say to the House - lest there be any doubt on the matter - that I will not hesitate to use the powers parliament has given me if the circumstances require it.’’

But the statement disappointed Northern Ireland’s First Minister.

Mr Trimble said Dr Reid’s statement appeared to be ‘‘feeling its way’’ towards a more rigorous approach towards the ceasefires.

‘‘Unfortunately, John Reid was not clear enough and explicit enough in that,’’ he said.

‘‘I think there is a need in the coming weeks for the British government to spell out clearly what this statement really means.’’

Mr Donaldson said the government’s failure to act ‘‘must mean that unionists take action to remove Sinn Fein from the Executive by whatever means are necessary’’.

The Rev Ian Paisley, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, accused Mr Blair and Dr Reid of issuing more ‘‘weasel words’’.

North Belfast MLA Fred Cobain, an Ulster Unionist Assembly member who supported the Good Friday Agreement, but who has grown disillusioned, also criticised the statement.

He said: ‘‘People were looking to the Secretary of State to give some definitive view of how he was going to proceed. He didn’t.

‘‘We need to face up to the difficulties in the process. I don’t think what the Secretary of State said today faces up to these difficulties.’’

As the UUP prepared for today’s meeting, SDLP leader Mark Durkan urged unionists not to adopt tactics which compound the actions of paramilitaries.

‘‘Rather than speculating on disaster in September, we should be professing a determination to uphold the democratic will of the Agreement, upholding the institutions and using those shared institutions as a common platform from which democrats can reject the evil ways of the paramilitaries,’’ the Deputy First Minister said.

‘‘There are paramilitaries perpetrating violence who want not just to bring death to innocent Catholics but who want to bring down the Agreement.

‘‘People who really want to confront and confound those paramilitaries should not adopt tactics which would only compound the actions of paramilitaries.’’