Decommissioning to `stay under review'

Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, the Lagan Valley MP who led the campaign for a No vote at Saturday's meeting, said afterwards that he was…

Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, the Lagan Valley MP who led the campaign for a No vote at Saturday's meeting, said afterwards that he was very disappointed that on Tuesday, Mr Martin McGuinness would be the Minister of Education in Northern Ireland and the IRA would still be holding on to all its arms.

"The leader did say today that the matter would be kept under review and I think that's important. We will keep it under review because we can't have a situation where the representatives of a fully armed terrorist organisation remain in the government of Northern Ireland without disarming. That would be in breach of the Belfast Agreement," he said.

"If disarmament doesn't take place, then clearly there's a question mark over whether the UUP remains in government," he added.

UUP MP Mr Willie Ross said it was time for Mr David Trimble to consider seriously his position after winning the vote by a narrow majority and leaving the party "deeply split".

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He challenged Mr John Taylor to produce the letter Mr Taylor claims he received containing reassurances from the British and Irish governments that the RUC name would be included in the Northern Ireland Police Act. Speaking before the UUC vote, Mr Taylor said he had a letter in his pocket containing assurances on the issue of the RUC name but when asked to produce it, he did not do so.

Mr Willie Thompson MP said he was disappointed but encouraged by the strength of the vote against Trimble's proposals. "I believe that it shows the No group within the UUP is gaining ground gradually but surely and I believe that ultimately we will succeed."

The Mayor of Carrickfergus, Mr Tom Creighton, said there was a "fair amount of bitterness" in the party and dissidents had yet to decide whether it was better to fight their cause within the party or outside it.

The East Antrim Assembly member, Mr Roy Beggs Jnr, said he voted to try to ensure unreformed terrorists would be kept out of ministerial office. "I would like to be able to think that weapons will be decommissioned but I fear that the goalposts will continue to be moved."

The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, said the Ulster Unionist Party could no longer have a role to play in defending the Union following Saturday's vote. He said the party was "now wholly discredited".

"Having cast away every electoral pledge they made to the people of Northern Ireland they have now endorsed sharing power with the IRA without any decommissioning having taken place and without the least prospect that it ever will," he said.

Dr Paisley said opposition to the republican programme would now have to be assembled completely outside the ranks of the UUP. "The crucial and immediate task is to build a broad, cohesive, firm and effective unionist movement capable of giving hope and confidence to the unionist people and reversing unionist decline."