Parties accused of game playing over policing issue

Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin were accused tonight of playing a game of pass the parcel over the policing issue in the North.

As the British and Irish governments continued efforts to break the deadlock over policing, nationalist SDLP Policing Board member Alex Attwood claimed the Democratic Unionists and Sinn Féin were trying to shift the blame for the impasse onto other parties.

The West Belfast MLA was commenting amid claims that the British government withdrew a proposal today to present a plan to an Assembly sub group that the SDLP and Ulster Unionists would accept senior and junior posts in a new Stormont Justice Ministry.

The paper was not presented, however, to the Programme for Government Committee’s sub-group on policing and justice, with the UUP and SDLP insisting they would not sign up blindly to any proposal.

Mr Attwood observed: “The game of pass the parcel between the DUP and Sinn Féin is continuing.

“Their politics is more about blame than about solving problems. As they stare each other out, the day-to-day needs of people in the North (of Ireland) get lost.”

Prime minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern have identified Sinn Féin support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland and a DUP commitment to power sharing as the key ingredients of their bid to revive devolved government in the province by next March.

DUP leader Ian Paisley has signalled on several occasions he will share power with Sinn Féin if the IRA ends paramilitary and criminal activity and the party publicly commits itself to supporting the PSNI, the courts and upholding the rule of law.

The British and Irish governments have been focussing on getting Gerry Adams to call a meeting of his party’s national executive to give the go-ahead for a special party conference next month on a change in policy towards the PSNI.

Mr Adams has told the DUP and British and Irish governments if his party is to change its policy, a date for the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont must come first.

The DUP, however, insists republicans must move first – supporting and proving they are co-operating with the PSNI before unionists can even contemplate giving a date for the transfer of powers.

A republican source said they were expecting ongoing negotiations with the British government to continue well into the night.

The Assembly sub group today signed off its report on proposals for the devolution of policing and justice.

Sources said the report, which should be released on January 3, would merely re-state the parties’ positions.

“The real game in town is the negotiations which have been taking place away from the sub group,” the republican source said.