Paisley vows to talk to SF once weapons gone

Ian Paisley today pledged to go into peace talks with Sinn Féin once all IRA weapons are destroyed.

The Democratic Unionist leader also warned British Prime Minister Tony Blair faces a huge backlash if he fudges a promise to accept nothing short of a total military shut-down from the IRA.

With the DUP now Northern Ireland’s biggest political party, Mr Paisley told its annual conference the commitments which carried it to stunning electoral successes would be honoured.

Chief among those was a declaration that there would be no negotiations with republicans over restoring devolution while the IRA was still operating.

Mr Paisley insisted the block on dialogue with Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness would last as long as he was in charge.

But he added: “The DUP stands ready to enter real talks, provided total decommissioning has been accomplished.

“Without that there is no future peace in Northern Ireland.

“IRA/Sinn Féin must learn that there is a price to be paid by them for a place at the table and until they get rid of the guns on the table, under the table, and outside the doors of the negotiating chamber they will have no place in the talks.

“They have a choice to make, and until they make it the door of democracy is locked against them.”

The DUP chief also rounded on the Catholic hierarchy for lobbying the British government on behalf of republicans.

His attack came after the head of the Catholic Church, Archbishop Sean Brady, made a controversial speech criticising the pace of police reforms in Northern Ireland.

Mr Paisley claimed: “Now the Roman Church has been called in once again.

“The church sees the rise and renewal of resurrected traditional unionism as a menace to IRA/Sinn Féin, thus Archbishop Brady’s intervention.”