Talks centre on UUP’s withdrawal from Assembly

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Brian Cowen and the Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid have said they welcomed statements by the Ulster Unionist Party that their ministers will return to the Executive if there is a move on IRA decommissioning.

Speaking after a meeting in Dublin, the two Ministers said they were disappointed that Mr Trimble had decided to pull the Unionist ministers from the Northern Ireland Executive.

Dr Reid said: “We were disappointed by the decision of the unionist ministers to withdraw, though I can’t say I was surprised by it.”

However he welcomed the statement from the Ulster Unionist leadership that in the event of IRA disarmament UUP ministers could be reappointed immediately.

He added: “I hope that there could be sufficient movement on the question of arms, but I have no information that leads me to expect that.”

Both politicians reaffirmed their commitment to making the process work and pledged to “stay in touch on a day-to-day basis.”

Speaking on Friday morning anti-Agreement Ulster Unionist Jeffrey Donaldson said: “If the IRA are in the business of a one-off gesture that is not going to be enough. The General de Chastelain’s [decommissioning body] remit runs out in February and if the IRA have failed to disarm by that time, we will be facing yet another crisis.”

The Ulster Unionist Party and Democratic Unionist Party ministers quit the Stormont Executive at midnight on Thursday night in the ongoing row over IRA decommissioning.

Dr Reid has one week to decide if the Assembly, Executive and other political institutions should be suspended to create the time and space for the problems in the peace process to be resolved. Alternatively, he could allow the possible collapse of the institutions, by forcing the running of the D'Hondt system in the Assembly for the nomination of ministers. (AMcE)