Trimble threatens to derail peace talks
Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble has threatened to derail talks on the review of the Good Friday Agreement, if the government ignores Sinn Fein’s links with paramilitary violence.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner said he would withdraw from talks if the government failed to heed advice over the Sinn Fein’s involvement in the kidnapping of a dissident republican, Bobby Tohill, in Belfast last Friday night.
Controversially, Mr Trimble said the kidnapping was the work of “mainstream republicans” led by the Sinn Fein MPs Martin McGuinness and Gerry Adams, representing the political wing of the IRA.
Mr Trimble said: “Unless you can summon up the courage to act on this matter within the next few days, I and my colleagues will take steps next week to bring this process to an end.”
The IRA could not be allowed to talk about human rights one day and then start “beating human rights out of people the next”, he added.
But an unnamed source told the republican newspaper An Phoblacht that the IRA was not behind “any action” against Mr Tohill.
Tony Blair told the House of Commons during prime minister’s question time that “action will have to follow” if the IRA was implicated in the kidnapping but there would be no compromise on the agreement.
Last night, Mr Trimble said there was a “recurring difficulty” in the agreement over continuing paramilitary activity.
Ignoring the warning of Chief Constable Hugh Orde, who had “no compunction in pointing his finger unambiguously at mainstream IRA,” sent out entirely the wrong message to Sinn Fein, he warned the government.
“I am concerned about the government’s attitude to this because there is a danger the government’s reaction and failure to react is sending to the IRA the message that they can kidnap and murder with impunity. They must not do that.”
But Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, Dr Ian Paisley, said Mr Trimble’s comments were “weak and feeble”.
Dr Paisley rebuked Mr Trimble for allowing Sinn Fein into government in Northern Ireland in the first place.
“It is rank hypocrisy for Mr Trimble to flex his flimsy political muscles now. He was the man who allowed Sinn Fein/IRA into government in Northern Ireland on three separate occasions and sustained them there even as they murdered, bombed, beat, exiled, racketeered, smuggled, kidnapped, targeted, trained, gunrunned and recruited.”
