THE Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue yesterday rejected an offer for talks with the Garvaghy Road residents association who were the subject of last July's stand off by thousands of Orangemen.
The unionist dominated forum, set up as part of the political talks process in 1995 but boycotted by nationalists, decided that the offer of discussion from the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition could not be considered because it had passed a deadline set by its sub committee on public order.
The sub committee, known officially as Standing Committee A, was set up last September to consider the disorder which had surrounded last July's Orange marching season which included the four day blockade of almost the entire North to force an Orange march through the predominantly Catholic Garvaghy Road area in Portadown.
The committee is chaired by the UK Unionist and Orange Order member, Mr Cedric Wilson, and its vice chairman is Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, assistant grand master of the Orange Order and an Ulster Unionist member.
The Garvaghy Road group is the only significant group representing Catholic areas affected by the marches which agreed to meet the committee.
The others, including the lower Ormeau and Bogside residents, decided that the Orange Order influence in the committee made it a partisan group.
The committee wrote to all interested parties, including the Catholic residents' associations, on a number of occasions from last September but received no reply from these groups.
However, an Alliance Party member of the committee, Mr Steve McBride, made contact with the Garvaghy Road group earlier this week and it agreed by letter to meet the committee.
It is understood the committee decided not to meet the Garvaghy Road group earlier this week it also decided not to deal with late submissions from other groups.
The Alliance Party brought the issue to a head by tabling a motion on the Garvaghy Road group's offer at yesterday's sitting of the forum, at the Centre Point Complex in Belfast.
The motion noted the forum's "duty to promote dialogue" and called for the committee to meet the Garvaghy Road group at the earliest opportunity.