Paisley 'set for talks with Catholic leader'

The Rev Ian Paisley could have face to face talks with the head of the Catholic church in Ireland, it was confirmed today.

The Democratic Unionist Party leader, who was once thrown out of the European Parliament for verbally attacking the late Pope John Paul II, will be involved if the groundbreaking talks with the Archbishop of Armagh Dr Sean Brady go ahead, East Derry MP Gregory Campbell said.

The meeting would be a follow-up to a letter Mr Campbell wrote to the Archbishop after Dr Brady called for Unionist assurances on a commitment to power sharing and equality during an address in Milan last month.

Mr Campbell said today: “I had a meeting with Mr Paisley this morning and he is happy to have a meeting, as we have done in the past, with political and religious leaders.

“The only people we don’t have meetings with are Sinn Féin because of their attitude to violence.”