Trimble Facing Fresh Anti-Agreement Challenge

Date: 29th Aug '02

Name: RM Irish news article

TRIMBLE FACING FRESH ANTI-AGREEMENT CHALLENGE

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble is facing another challenge
from elements within his own party opposed to the 1998 Good
Friday peace Agreement.

The hardliners have collected the 60 signatures required to call
a meeting of the UUP ruling council next month to debate whether
or not it should continue to share power with Sinn Fein. The
continuing leadership of the party be Mr Trimble is also in
question, according to reports.

The petition will now be sent to party headquarters and the
matter will be discussed by the officer board on Friday, when a
date for the council meeting may be set.

Jeffrey Donaldson and David Burnside, the two most senior
anti-agreement members in the UUP, both support the petition,
which is the latest in a series of efforts to force the collapse
of the Belfast Assembly.

Pro-Agreement unionists however, said it was "madness" to call a
meeting of the ruling council in advance of Assembly elections,
to be held by May at the latest.

Hardline Ulster Unionist MP Jeffrey Donaldson, responding to the
petition, said that many Ulster Unionists no longer have any
confidence in sharing power with Sinn Fein due to the continued
existence of the IRA.

Donaldson said it was clear that British Prime Minister Tony
Blair "has no intention of applying sanctions" against Sinn Fein
for what he claimed were "numerous breaches of the IRA ceasefire.

"I have argued all along that it is up to unionists to take
appropriate action. Obviously there are people in the party who
feel it's time to have a debate on the removal of Sinn Fein from
ministerial office.

"I hope that the party can reach agreement on the way forward."

Mr David Trimble said this evening he was determined to lead the
party into the next election, and he insisted he would remain
in charge.

He said: "There are some realities in this situation and I will
continue to lead the party into next May."

Mr Trimble was urged today by Sinn Fein national chairman Mitchel
McLaughlin to "champion" the Good Friday Accord in the face of
another challenge from the anti-Agreement wing of the party.

"We have been over this ground many times before and nothing has
changed except that no name has been attached to this latest
move. It's the same old refrain only this time from faceless
members of the Unionist Council.

"No matter who is behind this latest drive to frustrate the
functioning of the political institutions - as with those before
them - they have yet to come up with any alternative to the Good
Friday Agreement.

"I believe that if David Trimble is sincere in his support of the
Agreement then it is incumbent on him that he is seen to be
championing it within pro-Agreement Unionism. Sinn Fein and the
SDLP have consistently sold the Agreement to our respective
constituencies and David Trimble needs to do likewise in his
constituency.

"As to whether David Trimble's leadership is under threat -- that
is a matter for the Ulster Unionist Party -- Sinn Fein has no
influence over who leads the Ulster Unionists but we are
committed to this process and will work with whoever is the
Ulster Unionist Leader be that David Trimble are someone else."

POLICING LEGISLATION URGED

In other comments today, Mr McLaughlin said Sinn Fein would
respond appropriately if British Prime Minister Tony Blair
honours pledges he made to toughen legislation on policing
reform.

So far Sinn Fein has refused to join the Policing Board, which
governs the RUC/PSNI, insisting that the Patten reform proposals
of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement be fully introduced.

Mr McLaughlin said: "We have now secured a commitment from Tony
Blair that he will introduce amending legislation that will bring
the policing arrangements up to the minimum threshold of Patten.

"That will be a significant development and it will be a
challenge that Sinn Fein will rise to when and if that happens."

The Assembly Member for Foyle stressed his party's desire to be
able to take part in genuine cross-community policing
arrangements.

In a direct challenge to Mr Blair, he told BBC Radio: "When and
if he gets round to making these necessary amendments to the
legislation, and producing and delivering on his commitment to
Patten, then Sinn Fein will step up to the mark.

"We will not shirk the very difficult challenge that will pose
for us."

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