'Republicans holding up quest for peace': Paisley

The Republican movement is holding up progress in the search for a new peace process deal, Democratic Unionist leader the Reverend Ian Paisley claimed today.

After talks with the head of Northern Ireland’s independent disarmament body, General John de Chastelain, the Rev Paisley said the IRA had not yet engaged with the weapons decommissioning body about any future act to put arms beyond use.

In response to Bertie Ahern’s claim that Sinn Féin and the DUP have just four days to strike a deal, he added: “It is amazing that the Prime Minister is in the business of setting deadlines for the incoming week when this most important matter has not been discussed with those whom we expect to decommission their illegal arsenal.

“We are not going to be bluffed or buy a pig in a poke on a matter which affects the lives of the future and present generation of Ulster people.”

The DUP have been pressing in recent days for any future act of IRA disarmament to be accompanied by a photograph.

They held talks with General John de Chastelain for more than an hour.

Accompanying the Rev Paisley were MPs Peter Robinson, Nigel Dodds and Jeffery Donaldson.

DUP chairman Maurice Morrow and Ian Paisley Junior were also in the delegation.

The Rev Paisley added: “We have discovered from the General that as yet, the IRA has not met him to discuss any of the details of the proposed decommissioning.”

The North Antrim MP continued: “This process is being held back by the Republican movement and they must engage immediately with the IICD (Independent International Commission on Decommissioning), or we will know that the whole exercise was one of deception by Sinn Féin/IRA.

“They are not dealing with (Ulster Unionists leader) David Trimble now.”

As Mr Paisley held talks with General de Chastelain, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams urged republicans not to be provoked by the DUP chief's remarks that he would have to bite his tongue if a deal was struck.

Mr Adams suggested that his bitter political enemy may be slowly and painfully coming round to the prospect of doing business.

He said: “The language he used is totally unacceptable and I think lots of people would find it very, very provocative. It does make the whole issue of getting an agreement very frustrating indeed.

“But it’s also the first begrudging, mixed up, convoluted acknowledgement by Ian Paisley of Sinn Féin’s mandate.”

The West Belfast MP added that he had no knowledge of the detail surrounding the DUP’s latest meeting with the disarmament body.

But he warned that any settlement would not involve his community being beaten down.

“This is not about humiliation. The days of humiliation are over,” he stressed.

Mr Adams accepted that Mr Paisley was facing difficulties in what he described as the latest stage of his career journey.

And he was unable to predict whether the DUP was genuinely ready to reach a settlement as the pressure mounts.

“I don’t know, and if I may say so, I don’t know if anyone else knows. There’s a small possibility that even Ian Paisley doesn’t know. There are difficulties in all of this but there aren’t many days left.

“I think the important thing is just that Ian Paisley says yes, but he should say yes now.”