THE UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, yesterday placed the onus on the British and Irish governments to commit themselves to firm structures and a detailed methodology for arms decommissioning if the inter party talks at Stormont are to move forward to substantive negotiations.
Mr Trimble also insisted that there must be a separate, rigorous assessment procedure for Sinn Fe in, including a commitment to the actual decommissioning of some IRA weapons, before the UUP would engage in talks with the party.
At a press conference in Belfast, the UUP leader, as expected, formally rejected a position paper on decommissioning supplied to him last week by the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew.
He said they could not accept "in any shape or form" a set of proposals which effectively relegated the issue "in the way proposed by Mr Dick Spring several months ago". Mr Spring, he asserted, had suggested that the issue be referred to a committee which would act like a fourth strand of the talks. "If that were done, there would be no guarantee that anything would ever come out of that committee it would be tantamount to burying the issue of decommissioning.
The only matter of significance in the governments' paper, Mr Trimble added, was an undertaking that each government would publish enabling legislation and try to obtain its enactment by late November or early December.
This was not sufficient, the UUP leader said. "We would need to have agreement about the main principles of the decommissioning schemes - agreement on the basic principles and on what procedures should operate if Sinn Fein should endeavour to enter the talks."
He continued: "We were not going to hold up movement into three stranded negotiations. If we had good quality assurances on the legislation, agreement on the principles of the decommissioning scheme, work started to build up the Verification Commission, and agreement on what would happen in the hypothetical situation of Sinn Fein entering the process then that would be sufficient to proceed."
Mr Trimble added: "If the two governments are not prepared to deal with the [decommissioning] issue seriously at this stage, they are putting the talks at risk."
He noted that last February, the British prime minister had said the talks would go forward with or without Sinn Fein. "Now, is he prepared to do that, or is he still carrying a torch for Sinn Fein - is he still insisting that things must be arranged so as to facilitate a Sinn Fein entry into the process?"
In a document circulated yesterday setting out the UUP position, an "essential principle" was defined thus: "First, before entry into substantive political negotiations (i.e. launching the three strands), structures should be in place and methodology outlined which would provide the basis for actual decommissioning."
Another "essential principle" was: "Secondly, no additional participant will be admitted to substantive political negotiations before they have adequately demonstrated their commitment to peace."
Mr Trimble said that, regardless of a further ceasefire, Sinn Fein could not enter directly into substantive negotiations. It would have to go through "a catching up process" in which it accepted the obligation to decommission and then had a start made on this.
There would be a debate on decommissioning in the opening plenary session of the inter party talks. At the conclusion of this, all parties would make a solemn commitment to implement the principle of disarmament and the proposals of the International Body on Decommissioning.
The UUP said this would have to be accompanied by firm indications on the timescale for enacting the enabling legislation, on the ratification of the Verification Commission, on finalisation of the decommissioning schemes, on procedures to be followed if Sinn Fein endeavoured to enter the talks and when the first actual mutual decommissioning should take place, and on the manner in which actual decommissioning would continue alongside negotiations. There would also have to be agreement on sanctions for any breach of the commitments.
At Stormont later yesterday, the UUP talks delegation met the Northern Secretary for discussions on the decommissioning issue. The SDLP delegation was involved in bilateral discussions with officials of the British and Irish governments on the same topic.