Paisley: SF must be excluded until IRA disbands

Democratic Unionist Party leader Ian Paisley has called on the British government to exclude Sinn Féin from political life in the North until the IRA disbands.

Mr Paisley made the call today as Northern Secretary Paul Murphy and Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern meet to discuss the fallout from last month's £26.5m (€38.7m) bank heist in Belfast.

The PSNI has blamed the Provisional IRA for the robbery, despite republican denials, and the Irish and British Governments are believed to be considering sanctions against Sinn Féin as punishment for the alleged IRA involvement.

Speaking about the matter today, Dr Paisley said the IRA had to disband and decommission all its weapons in a transparent manner before the DUP would even consider sharing power with Sinn Féin.

"Until action on these matters is taken, the British government must declare categorically that IRA/Sinn Féin have put themselves outside the negotiations and can have no place whatsoever in the executive government of Northern Ireland," he said.