The Parades Commission appeared set last night to turn down an application from Orangemen to parade down Garvaghy Road in Portadown this Sunday, after applications were lodged for parades along the road on each consecutive Sunday in August.
In Derry meanwhile, no breakthrough emerged after discussions on a contentious Apprentice Boys parade due to take place in the city on August 8th. The chairman of the Parades Commission, Mr Alistair Graham, held separate meetings yesterday with representatives of the Apprentice Boys and the Bogside Residents' Group, which is planning a protest in the city centre on the same day.
Mr Graham described both meetings as positive and said he would make a ruling on the Apprentice Boys parade on Monday. Discussions between the parties are likely to continue until then. The former SDLP mayor of Derry, Mr Martin Bradley, who convened a civic forum in the city in an effort to resolve the parades issue, also took part in yesterday's discussions.
The Portadown Orangemen's block application for parades seemed designed to keep attention on their demand to be allowed eventually to march down Garvaghy Road.
Mr David Jones, of the Portadown District Lodge, said yesterday Orangemen were determined "to keep up protests all over the North". He denied that support for the Portadown Orangemen had dwindled, and said he was very happy with a turnout of fewer than 400 people at a rally in Newtownabbey on Wednesday evening.
Mr Jones said he could not comment on the protests that would take place over the coming weeks. The Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition said earlier it feared Orangemen were planning a mass rally in Portadown.
Loyalists have mounted illegal protests and parades over the past 10 nights close to Garvaghy Road. Up to 500 people took part in a protest on Wednesday night. Mr Jones said these demonstrations "showed the level of support there is for the Orangemen".
Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith of the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition accused Orangemen and their supporters of laying siege to the nationalist area.
The Portadown District Lodge has lodged applications to parade down Garvaghy Road every Sunday since the Drumcree parade of July 5th was rerouted. All of these have been turned down.