THE public should be given the ownership of the Northern Ireland peace process, according to the Ulster Unionist MP, Mr Ken Maginnis.
This was why his party had proposed elections to an assembly, he said. "At the moment it is exclusively in the hands of the paramilitaries," he added.
Mr Maginnis was speaking at a lunchtime meeting of the Literary and Historical Society in UCD yesterday on the theme, "Driving South: A Unionist Perspective on the Peace Process".
"Negotiations should not take place behind closed doors where I or someone else can go outside and undermine the whole process. We should have the peace process within a properly structured forum where people can see what is happening.
"Let's not call it an assembly - an elected body to examine problems, to take evidence on problems, and having done so to be in a position to negotiate in a structured and informed way and overcome decades of mistrust."
To a heckler's "Return to Stormont", he replied: "Read my lips. Not an administrative, not a legislative body. I'm not going to tell you what the outcome of the negotiations will be because I can't.
"What the Ulster Unionists are trying to achieve is stability, where confidence can be brought to bear, where never again will guns and bombs have to be part of the equation."
He outlined the history of UUP policy on the process, saying that in 1993 it had said Sinn Fein had to be, part of the political structures in Northern Ireland.
However, he said it was still not clear that they were committed to the democratic process. "It's a question of republicans making the psychological leap from dependency on violence. We still want to draw them into the democratic process. But you can't have that when bombs are brought in. I don't have a gun . . ".
A member of the audience: "You do have a gun."
Mr Maginnis: "I don't have access to an arsenal. I don't have SAM missiles. I don't think anyone would begrudge me the right to defend myself and my family."
Replying to Mr Maginnis, Dr Martin Mansergh of Fianna Fail said unionism had always excluded the minority. Thirty years ago the unionist and founder of the Irish Association, Gen Hugh Montgomery, had wamed that the policy of exclusion would "smash the Constitution before many years are up".
When the three strand approach replaced the Anglo Irish agreement the Democratic Unionist Party, and later the Ulster Unionists, had sought to have an elected assembly instead of discussing all Ireland relationships.
Referring to the question of decommissioning, addressed by Mr Maginnis, he said: "If decommissioning was as important as it was meant to be, then the discussion would be on the excellent Mitchell report.
"Unionists have talked of an elected body lasting two years before all party talks," he said. "Can they realistically expect nationalists to accept that? I don't believe you can negotiate in public. Unionists have an opportunity to substitute partnership for majoritarianism. If they don't take it the initiative will be left by default to the two governments under the Anglo Irish agreement."