Leaders of the Ulster Democratic Party say they have failed to convince UDA/UFF prisoners to back the Northern talks process after a crisis meeting in the Maze prison. The party will consult the UDA/UFF leadership before deciding if it will remain in the talks.
The UDP's prisons spokesman, Mr John White, said he feared there would be "severe consequences" as he believed the prisoners' views "will be taken in heavily by the UFF leadership". The UFF ceasefire "was a matter for themselves", but "if there is no political process that is going anywhere, that may lead to paramilitary groupings being involved in conflict once again."
A meeting has also been arranged at short notice between the UDP, the political wing of the UDA/UFF, and the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, in London today. Mr White said the party was committed to being at the talks next Monday but added: "Unless we have the support of the UFF, I think it is pointless."
The UDP leader, Mr Gary McMichael, said the situation was becoming "increasingly grave". The process was crumbling because of the British government's one-sided approach. "If we don't get a grip of this situation and pull it back, there will have to be implications for the ceasefire," he added.
There had been an imbalance in the British government's approach to prisoners which would have to be addressed, as this was "a pivotal factor in people's attitudes at this time because of its centrality to the flawed government policy".
The delegation members said UFF prisoners were "completely disillusioned" with the peace process. Mr White said one of the is sues which concerned prisoners most was "that we couldn't agree the key issues after such a prolonged period of dialogue in the talks".
A delegation from the Ulster Unionist Party, led by its leader, Mr David Trimble, also visited the Maze yesterday and met groups from the UFF and the other main loyalist paramilitary organisation, the UVF. Afterwards the deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, described them as "very good meetings".
"We have given both groups something to think about and we have heard their views," said Mr Taylor, adding that the UUP shared the prisoners' concern about "the imbalance of the Northern Ireland Office's policies". He claimed that Dr Mowlam was going "out of her way to side with nationalism".
Mr Taylor said the delegation had outlined to the prisoners why the UUP believed it was worthwhile "continuing to give support, in the short term at least, to the talks process". The ceasefires had not been discussed.
The party's security spokesman, Mr Ken Maginnis, said they would not try to interpret the prisoners' views in relation to the ceasefires, but added: "All we will indicate is that there was serious concern about inequalities within the prison and serious concern about what was happening outside the prison."
The Democratic Unionist Party, meanwhile, accused the UUP and the loyalist parties of making contradictory statements. Mr Ian Paisley jnr asked why "so-called unionists" wanted to be part of a process which they had admitted was "fundamentally flawed and to the advantage of the IRA". He said it was exposing them as "idiots" whose political judgement was as flawed as the political process.