Trimble welcomes RIR pledge

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble today welcomed a pledge from the British government that it had no plans to axe Royal Irish Regiment battalions as part of a scheme to cut troop levels in Northern Ireland.

He said he was satisfied after a crunch meeting with Defence Secretary Geoff Hoon that there were no plans to disband the 3,000-strong home service members of the regiment as part of the Government’s blueprint for restoring devolution to the North.

Hardline Ulster Union MP Jeffrey Donaldson has forced a head-on confrontation with his party leader over the issue by calling a meeting of the 860-strong ruling council in a bid to formally reject the joint declaration issued by the British and Irish governments.

That blueprint for restoring devolved government in Northern Ireland includes plans to slash troop levels to 5,000 as part of a major de-militarisation programme.

Although it is totally dependent on the IRA declaring its war is over for good, Mr Donaldson has claimed it must be dismissed by his party because of the threat it poses to the Royal Irish.

But Mr Trimble said today, following his meeting with Mr Hoon and army chief, General Sir Mike Jackson: “There are no plans to disband the home service units and the existence of the home service units will not be affected in any way by the government’s Joint Declaration.”

There had been suggestions in a leaked draft military document that the units could go in two to three years. But Mr Trimble said that was not the case and had been “repudiated by General Jackson“.

But Jeffrey Donaldson said the British government assurance did not go far enough and state the regiment would not be slashed in size in the event of a total end of paramilitary violence.

“There’s nothing in the statement that says in the event of normalisation that the regiment will be retained,” he said.

But Mr Trimble insisted that “in the event of normalisation as defined in the Joint Declaration the RIR would be retained, that is absolutely clear“.

He suggested Mr Donaldson read the Ministry of Defence statement “a little more carefully” and if he wished, seek advice from the army.

Despite the British government statement the UUP ruling council meeting will go ahead on Monday and Mr Trimble conceded it was needed to “clear the air on the issue” and a number of other matters.

He hit out at the constant public comments from his party critics. “It would be much better if all the discussions were done within the party – this business of treating the party as the longest running soap opera is not the best and I hope we are not going to get this sort of public debate again,” he said.

Mr Donaldson has said he would consider whether to quit the party if he failed to carry the day at the council meeting.

But despite him being a constant critic of his leader, Mr Trimble said he wanted him to stay.

”Of course I don’t want Jeffrey to leave the party, I don’t want anybody to leave the party who is prepared to adhere to the party and follow it through and work for it as Jeffrey has done.

“What I would like to see is people working in a different way, in a better way, a more cohesive way – in a way in which we have our discussions privately and sort matters out in a way that other political parties do.