DUP Guarantee Not Enough, Says O'Loan

Peter Robinson's guarantee that the DUP will not walk away from Stormont must go further, the SDLP's Declan O'Loan has said.

Speaking at the Democratic Unionist conference in Belfast at the weekend, Mr Robinson told party faithfuls he could not guarantee the future of the Assembly, but insisted the DUP would not walk away from government.

Despite welcoming some of the "realities of political life" highlighted in the DUP leader's speech, North Antrim MLA Mr O'Loan voiced concern.

"He [Mr Robinson] has a responsibility to do more than merely not walk away," said Mr O'Loan, (pictured).

"Much of his language at other times has been very damaging to the concept of a joint project involving two communities as partners."

Mr O'Loan suggested Mr Robinson had expressed his resentment at the "mandatory" nature of the Executive coalition.

"He makes himself a reluctant and uncooperative partner."

According to the SDLP Assemblyman, Mr Robinson has also attempted to undermine critical aspects of the Good Friday Agreement, especially the North-South bodies.

"Robinson’s DUP must stop this kind of talk. They are still looking backwards at the 'cave-dwellers' [what Mr Robinson dubbed the TUV] as well as looking forward," he said.

"Unionism, for its own interests, must set its face in the direction that it rationally knows it must go in."

(PR/KMcA)