Sinn Fein's chief negotiator, Mr Martin McGuinness, yesterday welcomed the Ulster Unionist Council's decision to re-enter the Northern Executive, but warned that the British government would have to deal seriously with "the very strong objections" of the nationalist community to its proposals on policing.
Speaking on BBC's On The Record, Mr McGuinness said Saturday was "obviously a good day for the agreement", but said Mr Peter Mandelson's proposals on the reform of the police force were "totally and absolutely unacceptable".
At a press conference immediately after the UUC vote, Mr McGuinness said it was "a good day for politics on this island". The Yes vote was "the positive response we were seeking from the UUC to the joint statement of the two governments and the IRA statement of two weeks ago," he said.
"It is the right decision. It will be welcomed by the people of this island and beyond and we believe there is now an opportunity on this island to implement the Good Friday agreement."
However, yesterday Mr McGuinness switched the focus back to policing, saying the Patten proposals "make no provision whatsoever for double-barrelled names or for the name of the RUC to be in the title deeds" of the Northern Ireland police service. "The Patten proposals, which have now been effectively diluted to the Mandelson proposals on policing, are totally and absolutely unacceptable. The British government is going to have to deal seriously with the very strong objections within the nationalist and republican community to the legislation which Peter Mandelson has put in place," he said.
"We hope that the British government in the course of putting this legislation through their parliament will face up to the mistakes that have been made, the terrible blunders that have been made and that they'll correct them." The Patten proposals constituted Sinn Fein's "bottom line", he said.
Mr McGuinness said he was glad the UUC had moved to "face down the rejectionists who are out to destroy the agreement", but he regretted that Mr David Trimble had spoken "quite offensively about the need for Sinn Fein to be housetrained".
"That has caused a huge reaction within the nationalist community. People view those comments as effectively sectarian and racist. I think he needs to recognise that the way forward for all of us has to be through inclusivity, equality and respect."
On Saturday, Mr McGuinness said he looked forward to taking up his ministerial duties again. "Obviously Bairbre and I are looking forward to resuming our portfolios . . . There's no guarantee that ministers who held down previous portfolios will have those portfolios returned.
