THE Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Burke, has strongly urged the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, not to force Sunday's Orange parade down the Garvaghy Road in Portadown, saying it would be "a mistake" and have "implications for many things on this island".
Mr Burke, speaking after multi-party talks in Belfast yesterday said it "would be very, very serious indeed" if the parade was forced down the Garvaghy Road. He said that should not be allowed to happen "for the third year in a row".
"I personally do not want to see that, and the Irish Government does not want to see the parade forced down the Garvaghy Road. It would undoubtedly have implications for many things on the whole of this island," said Mr Burke.
He denied suggestions that he was putting an armlock on Dr Mowlam or that he wanted the parade to be banned, saying that a compromise should be found, and that it could be found if goodwill was shown.
Mr Burke also commended Dr Mowlam for her "hard work" in trying to find a compromise. "There is of course the conflict between those who feel they have the right to march and those who feel they have the right not to be intimidated within their own homes. I hope even at this late stage a compromise can be found with goodwill on all sides because it is too horrendous to contemplate a repeat of last year," he said.
The Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, said he was "quite sure that matters can be resolved and probably will be resolved" in relation to Sunday's parade.
The two governments' joint paper on decommissioning was also discussed at yesterday's talks and Mr Burke said a "positive approach" had been shown by many of the delegations at the talks to the paper.
He said the joint paper was "fair and reasonable", that it was now "incumbent on the IRA to respond with an unequivocal ceasefire" and that he wanted all-inclusive talks which would conclude within the timeframe set down by the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair. Mr Burke said it had now been decided to enter bilateral discussions with parties who were seeking clarification on the proposals.
Mr Trimble, who has sent an eight-page document with questions on the joint paper to Mr Blair, said he believed the paper could be amended. The Democratic Unionist Party leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, said the two governments would refuse to amend the paper and that unionists would be "made fools of".
However, the Political Development Minister, Mr Paul Murphy, said "the technicalities of amendment would be a matter for the talks", but that if "sensible, reasonable proposals" were put forward the two governments would consider them.