UUP claim Agreement is in 'mortal danger'

The UUP has warned that the Good Friday Agreement could be in "mortal danger" if there is no clarification on an agreement between the British and Irish governments to extend the life of the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC).

Unionists have expressed their anger after it emerged that the NSMC would continue to operate whilst the north's devolved administration remained in suspension.

The 'care and maintenance' measures have been adopted, say the Irish and British governments, in order to keep the six North-South bodies alive – and so retain the 700 staff currently employed by the all-island structures.

UUP leader David Trimble accused the Northern Ireland Office of engaging in "dirty tricks" and called on the Secretary of State to come clean on, what he described as a backroom deal done with the Irish government. He further threatened "stringent and punitive action" if no clarification is made.

Mr Trimble said: "This is typical of the Northern Ireland Office. As soon as we were out of office, they were back to their dirty tricks.

"Our own government had been told that it cannot ride roughshod over the Belfast Agreement and we intend delivering the same blunt message to the Irish government on Wednesday."

Elsewhere, the prospect of an alliance between the UUP and the Conservative Party has sparked a Tory-style internal backlash at the Unionist leadership, with one MLA claiming that any deal would be like "hitching a ride on the Titanic".

The East Antrim MLA Ken Robinson and North Belfast assembly member Fred Cobain have both spoken out against any proposed entente cordial between the parties.

On Sunday, UUP leader David Trimble revealed in an interview with Radio 4 that he was engaged in talks with the Conservative Party about reviving links. The UUP had official links with the Conservative Party stretching back to the 19th century, but these were cut after the introduction of direct rule in 1974.

Mr Trimble is known to be enthusiastic of the move, but many within the party are less so.

Mr Robinson said: "The Tory Party is going nowhere fast and is rapidly becoming an irrelevance in British politics.

"In any case, I believe the Tory Party has done little or nothing for Northern Ireland apart from selling us out at Sunningdale and foisting the Anglo-Irish Agreement on us,” said Mr Robinson.

Fred Cobain described the proposals as "disastrous" and "suicidal".

(GMcG)