30.10.04
IRA2
DUP reject power sharing on council
ePolitix News
29 Oct 2004
The Northern Ireland peace process has been put under renewed
pressure by the rejection of power sharing on a local authority by
the DUP.
Nationalists and republicans have said the Democratic Unionist's
decision not to share power on Castlereagh council demonstrated they
were not serious about restoring the devolved institutions.
The SDLP and Sinn Fein urged the British and Irish governments to
press the biggest unionist party to change its attitude.
SDLP deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell said the move in Castlereagh,
where the party's deputy leader, Peter Robinson, is a member, showed
they were against power sharing everywhere.
McDonnell said: "Peter Robinson has made the DUP's position on power
sharing very clear, they are opposed to it wherever they are in a
position to cobble together a majority.
"The two governments now need to be just as clear with the DUP and
ask them how they square this position with their acceptance of the
fundamentals of the Good Friday agreement at Leeds Castle."
Split
During the council debate, DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson insisted
his party was not a supporter of power sharing.
The East Belfast MP said it should only be deployed in certain
conditions in a divided society but in this case, it was not suitable
for Castlereagh.
Sinn Fein chairman Mitchel McLaughlin said the situation illustrated
the need for the cross community safeguards and power sharing
requirements under the Good Friday agreement.
McLaughlin said: "The rejectionist demands of the DUP are now the
primary obstacle to a comprehensive agreement.
"The two governments need to understand there is no middle line
between the protection of the agreement and the destruction of the
agreement which the DUP seeks.
"It is the responsibility of the governments to defend the core
fundamentals and principles of the agreement and to make it clear
that they cannot be changed.
"If the DUP do not accept this reality then the pro-agreement
parties, including the two governments, need to move on. The DUP
cannot be allowed to paralyse the process of change."
Failure
Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell hit back insisting unionists
were not going to be bullied into signing up to a political system which had "failed".
The East Londonderry MP said: "Nationalists and republicans must
realise that unionists will not be going back to the days of the
humiliation and failure of the Belfast Agreement.
"Unlike the weakness of the position of previous unionist
negotiators, the DUP will not be forced to abandon our manifesto
commitments of no terrorists in government and of holding to the
absolute necessity of ensuring that there is a system of government
that unionists as well as nationalists can support.
"The DUP wants to arrive at a settlement for all the people of
Northern Ireland. However, nationalists need to get real and accept
the inevitability of change."
Campbell again insisted on reforming the accountability of ministers
in the devolved institution, the sticking point in recent
negotiations.
DUP reject power sharing on council
ePolitix News
29 Oct 2004
The Northern Ireland peace process has been put under renewed
pressure by the rejection of power sharing on a local authority by
the DUP.
Nationalists and republicans have said the Democratic Unionist's
decision not to share power on Castlereagh council demonstrated they
were not serious about restoring the devolved institutions.
The SDLP and Sinn Fein urged the British and Irish governments to
press the biggest unionist party to change its attitude.
SDLP deputy leader Alasdair McDonnell said the move in Castlereagh,
where the party's deputy leader, Peter Robinson, is a member, showed
they were against power sharing everywhere.
McDonnell said: "Peter Robinson has made the DUP's position on power
sharing very clear, they are opposed to it wherever they are in a
position to cobble together a majority.
"The two governments now need to be just as clear with the DUP and
ask them how they square this position with their acceptance of the
fundamentals of the Good Friday agreement at Leeds Castle."
Split
During the council debate, DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson insisted
his party was not a supporter of power sharing.
The East Belfast MP said it should only be deployed in certain
conditions in a divided society but in this case, it was not suitable
for Castlereagh.
Sinn Fein chairman Mitchel McLaughlin said the situation illustrated
the need for the cross community safeguards and power sharing
requirements under the Good Friday agreement.
McLaughlin said: "The rejectionist demands of the DUP are now the
primary obstacle to a comprehensive agreement.
"The two governments need to understand there is no middle line
between the protection of the agreement and the destruction of the
agreement which the DUP seeks.
"It is the responsibility of the governments to defend the core
fundamentals and principles of the agreement and to make it clear
that they cannot be changed.
"If the DUP do not accept this reality then the pro-agreement
parties, including the two governments, need to move on. The DUP
cannot be allowed to paralyse the process of change."
Failure
Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell hit back insisting unionists
were not going to be bullied into signing up to a political system which had "failed".
The East Londonderry MP said: "Nationalists and republicans must
realise that unionists will not be going back to the days of the
humiliation and failure of the Belfast Agreement.
"Unlike the weakness of the position of previous unionist
negotiators, the DUP will not be forced to abandon our manifesto
commitments of no terrorists in government and of holding to the
absolute necessity of ensuring that there is a system of government
that unionists as well as nationalists can support.
"The DUP wants to arrive at a settlement for all the people of
Northern Ireland. However, nationalists need to get real and accept
the inevitability of change."
Campbell again insisted on reforming the accountability of ministers
in the devolved institution, the sticking point in recent
negotiations.
