Durkan: Elections could go ahead in June

The Northern Ireland Assembly elections could go ahead in June, SDLP leader Mark Durkan said tonight.

He told reporters in Dublin there should be no “cooling-off period” and that there was no need to wait around.

Everything could be put to the two governments and parties and they could come up with a common response, he claimed.

He said: “That is work that we can do in a matter of days and on the basis of doing that positively we could go forward to elections in June.

“I want to see both governments clear about the fact that there was no need to postpone the elections.”

Mr Durkan - speaking before a meeting with Taoiseach Bertie Ahern - said it was clear that people were angry about the deferment of the May election.

“I believe people are also angry that this whole process has degenerated into a word game,” he said.

“I want a much more rounded approach.”

He said that by not voting for the Good Friday Agreement, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has done damage.

He said: “I do not believe that we should let that damage stand.”

“We don’t have to wait around,” he added.

“We don’t need a cooling-off period.”

Mr Durkan said that his party was not turning its back on its principles.

“Other parties have to step up to the SDLP standard,” he said.

He warned that there could be no “a la carte” approaches to the Good Friday Agreement and that there should be no “copping out”.

He added: “David Trimble might think he’s hopping a ball but he’s not going to catch the SDLP out.”

The SDLP leader was meeting Mr Ahern in the light of last night’s IRA statement.