Unionists urged to find common ground with foes

Members of the Reverend Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists were today urged to use their appearance at an Anglo-Irish parliamentary body body to find common ground with their foes.

The appeal was made by Sinn Féin's Arthur Morgan ahead of today’s start of the British Irish Parliamentary Body, an organisation that draws is members from the parliaments and assemblies of the British Isles.

A DUP delegation including deputy leader Peter Robinson is due to engage with the group tomorrow in Killarney, Co Kerry, with a presentation of its case.

However the DUP is insistent its decision to take part in the event is not a u-turn on its boycott of the Parliamentary Body which was formed in 1990 as a result of the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

Mr Morgan said: “Along with all of the other members of the Parliamentary Body, I welcome the decision of the DUP to attend this session in Co Kerry.

“However the DUP need to use this platform to find common ground, to engage with political foes, to seek to build confidence amongst the vast majority of people who want to see the Agreement work and demonstrate that they are up for inclusive powersharing.

“If the DUP are simply going to travel the length of Ireland to grandstand for the media then an opportunity will have been lost.

“Time is pressing on and we are only a matter of weeks away from the reconvening of the Assembly on May 15.

“The time for grandstanding from the DUP has long since passed.”

The DUP, Sinn Féin and other Northern Ireland Assembly parties have been given an absolute deadline of November 24 to form an inclusive powersharing government.

Initially when the Assembly is recalled on May 15, they will be given six weeks to try and form a devolved government but are expected to be given one more try before November 24.

The Democratic Unionists, however, have insisted that any decision by them on whether they should go into a government which includes Sinn Féin at Stormont or not, will be determined not by deadlines imposed by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

Peter Robinson, the East Belfast MP, has repeatedly said that the determining factor will be whether the IRA has genuinely ended all criminal and paramilitary activity.

In a pre-recorded television interview today ahead of the publication of the latest report on paramilitary activity by the Independent Monitoring Commission, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain insisted the Provisionals appeared to be living up to their pledge last July to end their armed campaign and were also tackling criminality within their ranks.

This, he argued, would ultimately remove any objection to powersharing with Sinn Féin by the DUP.

Mr Morgan, the Sinn Féin TD for Louth, said he was approaching the session of the British Irish Parliamentary Body in a positive frame of mind.

“I look forward to hearing what the DUP have to say,” he said.

“I remain hopeful that progress can be made in the weeks ahead but ultimately the DUP have a decision to make.

“Are they going to sign on for the Good Friday Agreement institutions or are they going to continue to set their face against change?

“It is my hope that we hear from Peter Robinson and his colleagues this week that they are finally ready to join with the rest of us to build a shared future on this island.

“If we hear the opposite message from the DUP then that places a large responsibility onto the shoulders of the two governments who then must act upon their pledge to deliver the other elements of the Agreement and increase All-Ireland decision-making and actions.”