Republicans 'need to make up minds about peace process': Trimble

Republicans must go further than mere gestures if the Northern Ireland peace process is to get back on track, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble said today.

Mr Trimble said private armies had to be stood down and it was time for the republicans to make up their minds.

He said there was no point in calling elections for the Northern Ireland Assembly unless his party could come to an agreement with Sinn Féin on the long-term sustainability of the institution.

Mr Trimble, was to address his party’s annual conference today, also revealed he had shaken hands with Gerry Adams “some months ago” after successful moves to ensure a peaceful summer in Northern Ireland.

And he called on three rebel MPs to decide if they wanted to be in the party or preferred the “luxury of independence”.

Mr Trimble said everyone in Northern Ireland knew the issues standing in the way of the peace process.

“Essentially we are waiting for republicans to make up their minds,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme.

“They know what they have to do, they know what is necessary for progress, they know what people want and the overwhelming majority of the people of Northern Ireland want this to succeed.

“But they need to move. We cannot proceed on the basis of having private armies destabilising the process and bringing about, as they did a year ago, the collapse of the institutions.

“We need to see the private armies winding up their activities and as armies going away and that requires a decision. We have had gestures, gestures were worthwhile. We have had a peaceful summer, that is worthwhile. But what we need is to see people go that step further and say ’yes, we are putting all of that behind us’.”

Mr Trimble said there was no point in calling elections if the parties could not come to agreement. He said it would be like accelerating towards a brick wall.

“It will put the whole process in a very difficult position,” he said.

“If it becomes clear that there will not be an Assembly to which to elect people then you have to say ’what are the likely consequences of an election in that situation?’. Because all you would be doing would be publicly confirming the collapse that has already occurred.”

He said he would put any proposed agreement to his party for approval.

Mr Trimble is engaged in a bitter stand-off with three MPs over their resignation of the whip. He said it was up to them to make the first move.

Jeffrey Donaldson, David Burnside and party president the Reverend Martin Smyth resigned the whip in a row over their colleagues’ failure to immediately reject British and Irish plans for the peace process.

Mr Trimble said: “They have to make up their minds. The decision essentially they have to make is whether they prefer the luxury of independence or whether they want to be part of a political party.

“That is what it comes down to at the end of the day. We have been remarkably patient, we have been very tolerant. I quite welcome debate within the party. But of course what we have here goes far beyond a debate within the party and it is causing intense annoyance and frustration to those people who work loyally for the party.

“We shall see what happens over the course of the next few days.

“There is a contradiction in their position. They are refusing to be part of the parliamentary party, but they say they wish to become part of the Assembly party. Both parties have the same policy, both are subject to the same discipline. There is a contradiction in their stance. I would prefer them to resolve that contradiction.”