The Belfast Agreement is history and the current political institutions at Stormont cannot be restored in the future, the Rev Ian Paisley has said. The DUP leader was speaking as his party withdrew its ministers from the power-sharing Executive.
The resignations of the Social Development Minister, Mr Nigel Dodds, and the Regional Development Minister, Mr Peter Robinson, took effect from noon yesterday. Both men tendered their resignations on Tuesday following allegations of a Provisional IRA spy ring at Stormont.
Dr Paisley said: "We are going to renegotiate with the British government on getting an agreement that the majority of unionists can agree to and the majority of nationalists can agree to."
Mr Robinson said while the DUP believed in devolution, it could not accept in government "the presence of those who are inextricably linked to violence". The Belfast Agreement had been a "costly exercise" for the unionist community, he said. "It has cost us our police force. It has cost us the right to have our own Northern Ireland democracy by inserting the representatives of unrepentant terrorists in government.
"It has cost us dearly in terms of setting up all-Ireland bodies which, even if these institutions fall, will continue with their work." Mr Robinson said the agreement had also led to the release of paramilitary prisoners. "It has been a high price to pay and it will be up to this party, being the resurgent voice of unionism - a new unionism, a confident unionism, a unionism that knows where it is going, a unionism that has policies, and a unionism that is capable of taking a firm stand and facing up to our opponents.
"That is the unionism of the future and the unionism that can deliver a better deal for the unionist community of Northern Ireland." Mr Robinson said the British government must call fresh elections to the Assembly. If Mr Blair postponed the elections, because he was frightened of the outcome, that would be a "trait of a fascist", he said.
Mr Dodds said his party had achieved what it had set out to do which was to "ensure the removal from government in Northern Ireland of IRA/Sinn Féin. The removal of unreconstructed terrorists from the heart of government is something which should be a cause for celebration," he said.