Trimble and Donaldson collide over RIR clarification

The leader of the Ulster Unionist Party has hit back at a senior party colleague on the issue of clarification on the future of the Royal Irish Regiment's (RIR) Home Service battalions.

David Trimble said yesterday's statement by Defence Minister Geoff Hoon made it "absolutely clear" that the future of the RIR was secure despite claims from party colleague Jeffrey Donaldson that the statement contained a "huge degree of ambiguity" and required more clarity and certainty.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster this morning, Mr Donaldson said the Government's statement did not contain a commitment to the future of the regiment and that the RIR would still be under threat "even in the event of so-called normalisation".

Mr Trimble, however, expressed no qualms about the content of Mr Hoon's announcement. "There are no plans to disband the Home Service Unit and the existence of the Home Service Unit will not be affected in any way by the Government’s Joint Declaration," the MP for Upper Bann said.

“That was made very clear by the Secretary of State (Paul Murphy) and indeed by General Mike Jackson who was present at the meeting and who expressed his great admiration for the men and women of the RIR.

“The Home Service Units will not be affected by the Joint Declaration. That is the key point. The concern was generated by briefings given to the men and women of the RIR over a month ago which were interpreted as an indication that the units would be disbanded in two to three years time. That is not the case.

“In the event of normalisation, as defined in the joint declaration, the RIR will be retained. That is absolutely clear," he added.

However, Mr Trimble also came under attack from the DUP's North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds who said the UUP leader was directly in involved in "plans to disband the RIR" which were born "as a direct result of the talks between the pro-agreement parties".

"Indeed when the Prime Minister declared that a ‘shared understanding’ existed between the pro-Agreement parties this statement went unchallenged by the Ulster Unionist Party. Undoubtedly David Trimble and his negotiating team had agreed to the main principles contained within the Joint Declaration, after all he and his team had spent days in negotiations to bring it about," he added.

In a statement released yesterday, Mr Hoon said reports that the government planned to disband the RIR or its home battalions were "untrue".

He said no decision had been made on the make-up of the 5,000 troops to remain in the province after paramilitary "acts of completion" to decommission weapons.

(MB)