Secretary of State fields enquiries about peace package

The Secretary of State is expected to field enquiries from Northern Ireland parties this week as they continue to weigh up the take-it-or-leave-it proposals to keep the Good Friday Agreement alive.

Northern Ireland Secretary of State Dr John Reid is believed to be standing by to answer any queries any parties may have about the logistics of the nine-page document they received from the British and Irish governments on Wednesday August 1.

With only four days to go the parties have little time to give their verdict on the package.

However, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has warned that his party would withdraw from the institutions if the IRA continued to renege on their decommissioning promises: “In the absence of decommissioning there will be no progress and consequently no Ulster Unionist will be able to offer himself for election as First Minister. There can’t be a moral vacuum at the heart of this. We are not legitimising terrorism. It’s not right to be in government by day and out engaged in other activities by night.”

SDLP party chairman Alex Attwood said they were considering the government’s proposals and were looking forward to the publication of the revised implementation plan whereupon they would make their final judgement. He added: “These are substantial pieces of work and this demands substantial consideration by all political parties. There must be no rush to judgement and mature and thoughtful consideration must be given. The SDLP looks to ensure that the Good Friday Agreement is implemented in all its aspects and will judge the proposals against this standard".

Dr Reid said that the package would not satisfy everyone in all parties but instead represented “our best chance of a viable way forward”.

The Democratic Unionist Party has said the document failed to address unionist concerns. DUP leader Reverend Ian Paisley said: “This package of measures, if implemented, will strip Northern Ireland of its security apparatus at a time when the paramilitary organisations are on the increase. The insult to democratic process is that the people of Northern Ireland are expected to wait patiently on how the killers in the IRA respond to this paper.”

Meanwhile Sinn Féin are to meet with their ruling executive on Friday to discuss the blueprint package.

If the parties reject the package and no deal has been clinched by August 12, British Prime Minister Tony Blair has to decide whether to suspend the assembly or call an assembly election. (AMcE)