Blair to make statement on Northern policing

British Prime Minister Tony Blair is set to make an announcement on future security arrangements in the North, Downing Street said today.

The announcement, in a written statement to the House of Commons tomorrow, will “set out the distinct and different roles of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the security service and the accountability arrangements for each”, said a spokesman.

The move appears to be an attempt to break the logjam over policing that is blocking the way to a restoration of devolution in the North in March.

Senior Sinn Féin members are to meet today to decide whether or not their national executive should reconsider a plan to hold a special conference this month on policing.

Party leader Gerry Adams called today’s meeting of his officer board after concerns about the Democratic Unionist Party’s response to Sinn Féin’s move to consider supporting the police north of the border for the first time in its history.

The meeting was taking place after Ian Paisley clashed with Mr Blair over his claims in a newspaper article yesterday that the DUP had agreed a date for transferring policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont.

Mr Blair had claimed all sides had agreed that May 2008 was the target date for devolving the powers, just over a year on from the formation of a power-sharing government, which has been pencilled in for March 26 this year.

However, the DUP’s leader claimed his party’s position had been misrepresented by Mr Blair.

“I do not agree with the statement of the prime minister when he claims that we, the DUP, agreed there could be evolution of policing and justice within a certain time limit,” the North Antrim MP responded.

“Sinn Féin have said there was a date…This is a completely untrue statement."

Downing Street last night refused to comment on any private conversations with political parties but a spokesman said Mr Blair’s assessment was based on what should happen if Sinn Féin delivers fully on its commitment to support the police and the rule of law.

With the Northern Ireland Assembly due to be dissolved on January 30, time is running out for the DUP and Sinn Féin to bridge the gap between them over policing.

Sinn Féin’s Martin McGuinness has urged the DUP to say it agrees with Mr Blair’s assessment of what will be required if devolution is to take place.

However, a hard-line statement from the DUP’s South Antrim MP, William McCrea, ruled out any member of the party being able to commit his or her party to power-sharing on March 26 and to the transfer of policing and justice powers by 2008.

“No DUP member has the power to commit the party to any Stormont executive as the ruling authority within our party is the party’s executive,” he insisted.

“The DUP’s executive has taken a very principled and determined stand and that includes a credible period in which to test the delivery on Sinn Féin’s words.

“Because of the failure by Sinn Féin/IRA to even make a declaration on their intentions, they have made it impossible for any credible period of testing to take place.”

The Irish and British governments have warned Sinn Féin and the DUP that if they do not resolve their row, they could lose the prospect of devolved government for a generation, with Dublin and London implementing their plan B of joint partnership arrangements in the North.