Violence fills vacuum
UUP refuses to honour promises
BY SEAN BRADY
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The vacuum which the UUP stand has created is being filled by loyalist
death squads, who are obviously taking encouragement from the lack of
progress. Today's statement is a re-run of the UUP unilateral
decommissioning precondition which is no part of the Good Friday
Agreement.
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This week marked the first anniversary of the referenda which endorsed the
Good Friday Agreement by a huge majority of Irish people on both sides of
the border. Ninety-five percent in the 26 Counties and 71.2% in the Six
Counties voted for political change.
The huge Yes vote in the Six Counties was particularly significant because
for the first time since the partition of Ireland, nationalists and
unionists there both voted in large numbers for a change to the status quo,
and in particular for constitutional change.
The majority of the unionist electorate, who decided that things could no
longer be imposed upon their nationalist neighbours, gave their political
leaders the cue to build a new political future in partnership with
nationalist representatives.
For a year now, the Ulster Unionist Party has refused to deliver on its
mandate and has made itself a prisoner of those anti-Agreement forces who
were rejected by the people in referenda and in elections to the Assembly.
On Tuesday, the UUP Assembly party said it reviewed the current political
situation and released a statement which indicated no movement in their
position.
On 14 May, UUP leader David Trimble joined with the Irish and British
governments, the SDLP and Sinn Féin in agreeing a process by which progress
would be made on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. The party
leaders agreed to go back to their respective parties and this was kept
private at Trimble's insistence. It was, however, crystal clear at the
conclusion of the discussions that this proposal was an agreed and final
text and that it was complete and sufficient in terms of its clarity and
substance.
The new Sinn Féin Ard Chomhairle met the following day and despite its
reservations, gave approval to the Downing Street proposition. David
Trimble subsequently denied any agreement and the Ulster Unionist Party
refused to stand by the process agreed in Downing Street.
Despite this situation, throughout the following week Sinn Féin leaders
maintained a dialogue with everyone concerned, including the Ulster
Unionist Party, aimed at a getting the progress which was mapped out at
Downing Street.
Sinn Féin Assembly member Alex Maskey revealed this week that at the
weekend David Trimble told Gerry Adams that in his absence, Reg Empey would
meet with him and continue the dialogue between both parties. In the three
days since, Empey has refused not only to meet Gerry Adams but to even
speak on the phone.
In its statement on Tuesday, the UUP Assembly Party said that ``Members
deplored the continuing faulire of Sinn Féin/IRA to honour their
obligations under the Good Friday Agreement to commence a credible process
of decommissioning''. It went on to say that ``An executive that includes
Sinn Féin members without decommissioning will be inherently unstable and
unworkable.''
Reacting to the statement from the Ulster Unionists after their review of
the political sitiation Alex Maskey said: ``Today's talk of obligation from
the UUP lacks any credibility. The UUP has blocked progress since the Good
Friday Agreement was reached, especially in the establishment of the
institutions.
``The vacuum which the UUP stand has created is being filled by loyalist
death squads, who are obviously taking encouragement from the lack of
progress. Today's statement is a re-run of the UUP unilateral
decommissioning precondition which is no part of the Good Friday Agreement.
``One year on from the May referendum, the UUP refuses to honour the
promises it made and the mandate it received to implement the Agreement
when it fought that campaign.''
The political vacuum is increasingly being filled by loyalist violence and
the perpetrators include those supposedly on ceasefire, particularly the
UDA. The finger of suspicion has been pointed at the UDA for the attempted
mass murder on Belfast's Falls Road on 20 May, when a grenade was thrown at
a packed bar, and for a shooting in Snugville Street off the Shankill Road
on Friday night, when loyalists attempted to murder a Catholic community
worker who had given a lift to a local girl. There has now been, on
average, a gun or bomb attack against nationalists every four days since
Christmas.
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