UUP furious over American criticism of Trimble

The Ulster Unionist Party is believed to be furious this morning after an influential American think-tank criticised party leader David Trimble's approach to the peace process.

The National Committee for American Foreign Policy accused Mr Trimble of destabilising the Good Friday Agreement by constantly issuing ultimatums and slammed his failure to defend the agreement and sell it to his supporters.

The American group also said progress would only be possible through a return to power-sharing at Stormont, but anti-agreement Ulster Unionist MP David Burnside has insisted that this will not happen unless the IRA gives up all paramilitary activity.

Without an end to IRA activity, Mr Burnside said, the SDLP should back unionist attempts to expel Sinn Fein from power.

If the SDLP was not prepared to do this, he added, unionists would be happy with direct rule from London.