Ulster Unionists withdraw from Good Friday talks

The Ulster Unionist Party today pulled out of talks in Belfast seeking to restore devolved government to Northern Ireland.

Leader David Trimble said the British government’s failure to exclude Sinn Féin from the talks reviewing the workings of the Good Friday Agreement following the alleged abduction of dissident republican Bobby Tohill was “quite appalling”.

Mr Trimble added: “We have to show to paramilitaries our government will not tolerate such blatant breaches of the peace,”

Despite withdrawing from the review talks, Mr Trimble said the UUP would continue to talk to other parties about the general political situation.

Mr Trimble has been threatening to pull out of the talks for several days and is due to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair in Downing Street tomorrow to discuss the Tohill affair and Sinn Féin’s continued involvement in the review talks.

Several people have been charged in connection with the alleged abduction which, within hours of it happening, Chief Constable Hugh Orde blamed on the Provisional IRA.