No surprise at unionist veto
There were no surprises on Wednesday at Stormont when the DUP,
UUP and Robert McCartney voted against the London and Dublin
governments decommissioning proposals. Apart from the vote on the
decommissioning document there was the rejection of 53 amendments
to the proposals brought by the unionist parties. The amendments
also failed to win enough support from the other participants.
The UDP and PUP abstained on the votes. Sinn Féin's Mitchel
McLaughlin who was in Stormont as part of the party delegation
summed up the days events saying ``People are trying to apply a
veto to the peace process''.
The expected rejection of the decommissioning document was
followed by a `walkout' from the talks by the DUP and McCartney's
UK Unionists, even though the talks are now effectively in recess
until 15 September.
DUP leader Ian Paisley told reporters at Stormont that he was
``out of this process for this good'' and that ``David Trimble
doesn't know where he is at the moment. He says he is digging
in..... He's digging his own grave''. UDP Leader Garry McMichael
attacked the walkout saying that the other parties had ``bolted
for the door at the first sign of the enemy''.
In a joint press conference after the days proceedings Northern
Secretary Mo Mowlam and Irish Foreign Minister Ray Burke
assserted the hope that all parties will particpate in
substantive talks which are scheduled to begin on 15 September
with all of the ten groupings elected in the May 1996 elections
present. The Dublin and London Governments have set May 1998 as
the deadline for final agreement in the substantive talks.
During the time between now and the 15 September two separate
processes are supposed to emerge. The first is the six week
period over which the British Government will assess the
cessation in ``word and deed''.
The second process is the intention declared on 25 June by both
The London and Dublin Governments to establish an Independent
Commission which would formulate draft schemes for tackling the
decommissioning issues.
Mo Mowlam and Ray Burke are to meet early next week to formally
set up the commission to examine the decommissioning issue. It
will according to the joint document agreed by the two
governments ``formulate options for draft schemes for
deceommisioning in conformity with the Mitchell report....which
may be available for discussion with all the participants from 15
September''.
Also likely over the coming days is a meeting between Sinn Féin
and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern as well as Sinn Féin and Mo Mowlam.
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