SF issues challenge to DUP

The Democratic Unionists were today challenged to enter into unconditional dialogue with Sinn Féin if they were confident that it was in Northern Ireland’s best interests to remain in the United Kingdom.

Sinn Féin chairman Mitchel McLaughlin issued the challenge during a meeting of his party’s representatives from both sides of the Irish border in Navan, Co Meath

The Foyle Assembly member said: “I challenge unionists and particularly the DUP now that it has donned the mantle of leadership in unionism to abandon the crutch of pre-condition and enter into direct unconditional discussions with Sinn Féin.

“I say to the DUP: If you believe that remaining in the union with Britain in a constant state of dependency presents the best option then show some leadership and convince those of us that have a different perspective of the strength of your argument.

“If you are confident of your analysis then let the debate begin.

“For years you have been denouncing the British government as treacherous and dishonest. So why use the British government as a conduit to convey your position to Sinn Féin?

“There is no substitute for face to face debate. We are not afraid of dialogue.

“We are confident and we are ready. Are you?”

Last November, the rev Ian Paisley’s DUP became Northern Ireland’s largest party in the Assembly election.

The party won 30 seats at Stormont but that has swollen to 33 following the defection of three former Ulster Unionists – Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson and his Assembly constituency colleague Norah Beare and Fermanagh and South Tyrone MLA Arlene Foster.

Sinn Féin extended its lead over the nationalist SDLP in its community during the election and also overtook David Trimble’s Ulster Unionists in the popular vote.

Mr Trimble’s party and Sinn Fein both have 24 Assembly seats.

Eight days ago the Democratic Unionists unveiled their plan for restoring evolution in Northern Ireland which they submitted to the review of the Good Friday Agreement at Stormont.

The party has set out three models for devolving power to the Assembly in Northern Ireland.

The first proposal was a voluntary coalition made up of two or more parties but which would exclude Sinn Fein if its link with the IRA remained.

The DUP held out the prospect of Sinn Féin participating in a mandatory coalition, similar to the one which operated before the suspension of devolution in October 2002.

However republicans were warned that this model of power sharing was only possible if the IRA engaged in acts of completion including total disarmament.

In the event of neither type of coalition being formed, the DUP argued that power should be vested instead in the Assembly with all 108 MLAs running Government departments through Stormont committees.

Mr McLaughlin today said the DUP proposals represented “a shift by that party from the never never land politics that it has inhabited since its inception”.

The Sinn Fein chairman said his party was opposed to the idea of the Assembly as a whole running Government departments, claiming that it was designed to hand the rev Ian Paisley’s party a veto in the political process.

He also said the concept of a voluntary coalition was a “non-runner as it is simply a device to deny or devalue the mandate and the rights of the republican constituency”.

He said the mandatory coalition proposal was recognition by the DUP in their own inimitable fashion that “power sharing Government is the only way forward”.

“This option is, I believe, a shift and it brings the DUP into the ball park of Good Friday Agreement politics. They’re in the ball park – now let them become players.”

Mr McLaughlin said there was an attempt by unionist parties and people within the British establishment to resist the process of political, social and constitutional change under the Agreement.

There was still “a job of work” to be done by republicans to convince the British Government to become persuaders for Irish reunification and the only realistic option for long-term peace and stability and to guarantee unionist democratic, social and cultural rights.