Orangemen approve proposals to end Drumcree dispute

The Orange Order in Portadown, Co Armagh, has approved a proposal that they hope could resolve the long-running local dispute about the annual Drumcree parade.

The Orangemen have been banned from marching through the nationalist Garvaghy Road area every year since 1998, mainly due to their refusal to enter talks with the local residents.

Under the new proposals, the Orange Order is seeking one final march through the Catholic area in return for a promise of talks on all future marches.

The proposal has not been discussed with the Garvaghy Road residents and it is unclear how they will respond. Some nationalist sources said the formula appears to be identical to other "walk now, talk later" proposals submitted in recent years.