SF urges SUP not to break agreement

The Democratic Unionists were tonight urged not to break a deadline for securing policing and justice powers for the Northern Ireland Assembly just for the sake of it.

The Democratic Unionists were tonight urged not to break a deadline for securing policing and justice powers for the Northern Assembly just for the sake of it.

The appeal was made by Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness in his first speech to his party's annual conference in Dublin as Stormont Deputy First Minister.

Mr McGuinness acknowledged the huge steps that have been taken by Ian Paisley's DUP since they agreed to share power with Sinn Féin and other parties in the North in a devolved Executive last May.

Dubbing Mr Paisley's party "DUP Nua", the Mid Ulster MP urged them to stand by what they had agreed in the 2006 St Andrews negotiations.

"During the talks which led to the first meeting of the Sinn Féin and DUP leaderships on March 26 (last year), a senior member of the DUP delegation said that his party would stand by the St Andrews Agreement," Mr McGuinness told delegates.

"People are now demanding that they do just that.

"The transfer of power is both logical and necessary. It is also supported by the vast majority of people from all backgrounds.

"The DUP need to approach all of this in a sensible way.

"The days of simply breaking deadlines for the sake of it have to end. The two governments (in Dublin and London) must fulfil their commitments on this issue. They need to act and act decisively in the coming months."

The Deputy First Minister was commenting ahead of a report by the Stormont Assembly and Executive Review Committee on the transfer of policing and justice powers.

The DUP, Sinn Féin, Ulster Unionist and SDLP members of the committee have not been able to agree on whether the confidence exists for the Executive to take over responsibility for the courts and policing matters in the North from the British government.

However, all sides and the Irish and British governments will be studying the report for signs of how the devolution of policing and justice could be achieved.

In recent weeks senior DUP figures including Mr Paisley have insisted the IRA must stand down its Army Council if there is to be sufficient confidence in the unionist community for the powers to be transferred.

Mr McGuinness said republicans had embarked on a new journey by going into government with the DUP and against all odds huge advances had been made.

Sinn Féin's political rival in the North, the SDLP, had for years, he claimed, branded them a problem party.

However, the Sinn Féin MP said they had confounded their critics by delivering alongside the DUP sustainable institutions.

In a reference to their Ulster Unionist and SDLP predecessors, he said: "Unlike David Trimble and Seamus Mallon, myself and Ian Paisley have refused to allow differing personalities and political outlooks to grind government in the North to a halt.

"Government with the DUP is not easy - not easy for us and not easy for them.

"Nobody expected it to be. But there is an obvious mutual benefit for all of our people in making this arrangement work. And work it has done and work it will continue to do.

"Sitting in government with the DUP has not and will not dilute my Irish republicanism one bit.

"Ian Paisley knows that my allegiance is to Ireland. But we should acknowledge the journey which the DUP have undergone in recent years."

Mr McGuinness said for many years the people of Ireland were well aware of what the DUP were against.

"They were against Sinn Féin. They were against power sharing, the Good Friday Agreement and changes to policing," he said.

"Now the people of Ireland are intrigued by DUP Nua. People are pleased that they are sharing power with Sinn Féin and pleased that they are participating in the All Ireland institutions."