The SDLP and the Ulster Unionists have united to criticise Sinn Fein for failing to outline proposals for a new assembly in the North.
Parties taking part in yesterday's round of talks at Stormont accused republicans of not engaging in dialogue and being unrealistic about a settlement.The parties addressed Strand One of the negotiations which deal with internal arrangements for the North. They discussed two British government documents containing proposals for a new assembly.There was general criticism that Sinn Fein had outlined an unrealistic position in the morning session of the talks and had failed to contribute at all to the afternoon discussions. Sinn Fein, however, denied it was being obstructive and said it had good reasons for opposing a new assembly. It pointed to decades of "unionist misrule" at Stormont.In an implicit criticism of the republican delegation, the SDLP deputy leader, Mr Seamus Mallon, said those who demanded wideranging executive functions for North-South bodies must recognise "the reality of certain arrangements in Northern Ireland".The SDLP negotiator, Mr Sean Farren, said cross-Border institutions necessitated a new body in the North. "A North-South council without new institutions from which the Northern membership will be drawn could not exist. By suggesting otherwise, Sinn Fein is being either deliberately obstructive or is failing to face reality. To argue that unionists can never be allowed to share in political power is to reject the very goal set for us in the talks. To rake over misdeeds, abuses and injustices is to perpetuate grievances to the point where they inhibit agreement."UUP sources said their delegation had an excellent exchange with the other parties, especially the SDLP. Substantial progress had been made in discussions on the election, size and committee structure of a new assembly.The party's deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, said Sinn Fein had failed to engage in the negotiations. It made unrealistic proposals in the morning session and "never spoke from beginning to end" in the afternoon. "That implies that they are not interested in the principle of consent nor an assembly for Northern Ireland.
Clearly they do not wish to be a player in the overall agreement which emerges from these talks." The Alliance leader, Lord Alderdice, said parties who had previously criticised the negative attitude of others were now refusing to engage themselves. Sinn Fein had problems engaging in the entire talks process because it ran contrary to its political analysis.The Sinn Fein chairman, Mr Mitchell McLaughlin, denied his party was in the wrong. He accused the UUP of failing to engage directly with republicans and said unionists had not made any points which had convinced Sinn Fein of the benefits of a new assembly. Such bodies had failed in the past and his party's position was shared by many in the nationalist community.The North's Minister for Political Development, Mr Paul Murphy, described yesterday's discussions as "very useful, constructive and frank". He refused to be drawn on Sinn Fein's position.