Sinn Fein resolve not to debate policing until after poll

Despite conciliatory overtones on policing at Sinn Fein's Ard Fheis at the weekend, Gerry Kelly, the party's policing spokesman, has said that the party will not be debating the issue prior to the May 29 assembly elections.

Attending Sinn Fein’s Ard Fheis at the weekend Sinn Fein President Gerry Adams confirmed that he could conceive of circumstances where party members would be able to join the Policing Board, but said that the time was not yet right to do so.

At the party conference a motion that would have linked a decision to support the policing in Northern Ireland with a British withdrawal from the province was rejected. However, leaders pledged to hold a special Ard Fheis when the time is right to examine the Policing Board issue.

Speaking on Monday morning Sinn Fein Chairman Mitchel McLaughlin confirmed that progress had been made and that the party were looking forward to a joint statement from the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Prime Minister Tony Blair.

At the party’s annual conference held in Dublin at the weekend Martin McGuinness said he hoped to see some further movement on the issues of plastic bullets and special branch. He added that changes to the criminal justice act would help to prevent police cover-ups.

However, he emphatically denied that a deal on policing had been stuck. He did confirm that Sinn Fein’s “best endeavours” were directed toward achieving a deal on policing.

UUP leader David Trimble warned that “time was very short” and Sinn Fein could not delay much longer on the key issues of decommissioning, sanctions, and policing.

The party conference was broadcast live by Irish state broadcaster RTE for the first time.

(SP)