(23 Sep 1997) English/Nat
Northern Ireland's main pro-British party faced the I-R-A's political allies for the first
time in negotiations in Belfast on Tuesday, but only long enough to demand that
the Republican Sinn Fein party be kicked out of the process.
Apparently harbouring little hope of success for the talks, Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble was already talking about how his party would deal with Sinn Fein in the weeks ahead.
But Republican leaders seemed more optimistic in the aftermath of the discussions.
In spite of the problems at Stormont on Tuesday, the session marked a milestone in the long efforts by the British and Irish governments to get all parties to the table in Northern Ireland to negotiate a settlement acceptable to Protestants and to the Roman Catholic minority.
But in spite of the progress made towards peace, Unionist leaders continued to profess their unwillingness to sit at the same table as Sinn Fein.
In fact the only order of business at Tuesday's talks was Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble's demand that Sinn Fein be thrown out of the talks because of its links to the Irish Republican Army.
SOUNDBITE:(English)
"Let me just repeat what I heard a moment ago, that we are determined that the Unionist voice will be heard one way or another, and there are a range of options open to us and we will decide our own tactics on that matter. Furthermore that I am quite convinced that the truth will come out about Sinn Fein involvement in Markethill and the other threatened acts of violence that are in the pipeline. And that truth will be a very grave embarrassment to this Secretary of State and this government when it becomes clear the extent they have allowed democracy to be corrupted".
SUPER CAPTION: David Trimble, Ulster Unionist leader
Trimble was backed up by fellow Unionist Ken Maginnis who said that Sinn Fein should play no part in the talks because of their supposed links to the I-R-A.
SOUNDBITE:(English)
"If this government has the courage, if this government now is prepared to examine its own actions objectively then we believe that the decision handed down tomorrow should be inevitable, not as people say, that Sinn Fein will be allowed to remain in the talks, but the Sinn Fein should be banished from the table of democracy and that the tenet that Bill Clinton gives that men of violence have no place at the table of democracy and no future in the rule of this land should be the primary objective".
SUPER CAPTION: Ken Maginnis, Ulster Unionist Security spokesman
Despite their complaints though, the Ulster Unionists are expected to stay at the talks
even if Sinn Fein is not expelled.
Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams though warned against what he saw as political posturing by the Unionist side.
SOUNDBITE:(English)
SUPER CAPTION: Gerry Adams, Sinn Fein leader
S-D-L-P leader John Hume urged all parties in the peace process to attempt to learn from the tragedies of the past and to forge a future without recourse to violence and sectarian rhetoric.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
SUPER CAPTION:John Hume, Social Democratic and Labour Party leader
Sinn Fein had been barred from the talks, which started in June 1996, because of continuing I-R-A violence.
An earlier I-R-A cease-fire ended in February 1996 with a bomb blast in London.
Up to now, Protestant paramilitaries officially have been abiding by their own cease-fire.
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