DUP and SDLP at loggerheads over GFA

The DUP and SDLP were at loggerheads today after East Belfast MP Peter Robinson claimed the SDLP was ignoring unionists by continuing to support the Good Friday Agreement.

Mr Robinson said the Agreement was no longer viable given that the majority of unionists now rejected the deal and that elections were needed so that a new political agreement could be negotiated.

However, the SDLP's senior negotiator Joe Byrne said that by calling for elections and "enabling the people to speak" Mr Robinson was ignoring "the will of the vast majority of people on this island who voted for the Agreement".

Mr Byrne added: "Peter Robinson has argued for elections on the basis the electorate has the right to decide who speaks for them. He is perfectly correct. Yet it is ironic that he refuses to listen to the people on this island who voted overwhelmingly for the Good Friday Agreement. He refuses to listen to those who voted yes for power-sharing government, yes to progressing the equality agenda, yes to promoting human rights and yes to north-south co-operation.

"It seems that Peter Robinson and the DUP only listen to what they want to hear. They clearly suffer from selective hearing. It is time that the wishes of the people were respected by the DUP. They need to realise that the Agreement and all that stems from it is the only way forward."

Mr Byrne said it was now time for the DUP and the anti agreement elements of the UUP to recognise the will of the Irish people north and south. "The results of that referendum were an overwhelming endorsement of all of the political institutions, including the north-south institutional co-operation which is about developing a real political dynamic on the island of Ireland," he added.

But, Mr Robinson hit back claiming while a majority of both political divides voted to support the GFA, one half of today's society, namely unionists, no longer supported the Agreement.

He added: "In case Mr Byrne has not noticed, a majority of unionists no longer support the Belfast Agreement and if that were reflected in elections the institutions set up under the Belfast Agreement would not be able to function.

"In such a situation there would be no alternative but renegotiation. That is the consequence of the system Mr Byrne helped create and still professes to support. Mr Byrne may wish to conveniently ignore the provisions in the Belfast Agreement but the reality is clear.

"For Mr Byrne to ignore one of the most fundamental protections built into the Belfast Agreement is to demonstrate the self serving approach of the SDLP which they would prefer to dress up as political principle.”

(MB)