MEDIATION facilitated by an Enniskillen peace group over a controversial Royal Black Preceptory parade in a Border village is continuing, even though the marchers have described it as pointless", residents said yesterday.
The parade, which is due to take place in the Fermanagh village of Roslea on August 10th, will be opposed by nationalist residents if the Royal Black Preceptory (RBP) attempts to march through the predominantly nationalist village.
Enniskillen Together, which was set up in the aftermath of the Remembrance Sunday bombing, has been facilitating negotiations on the parade route which are now on the verge of collapsing. Two previous parades in the village, one last August and another in May, were prevented from passing the Orange Hall on Roslea's main street, leading to a Protestant boycott of local Catholic businesses.
It appears another standoff will occur unless residents and marchers can agree a compromise.
Former Roslea Sinn Fein councillor Mr Brian McCaffrey, who has led previous march protests yesterday said Enniskillen Together is still involved in negotiations with residents on the parade route.
Last week he said he was not hopeful of a solution to the parade issue being found before August 10th. He said residents were now taking a firmer stance in negotiations and only putting forward those representatives they wish to speak to the RBP rather than those the marchers want to negotiate with.
Mr McCaffrey said/ "When we have tried to negotiate with the Royal Black Preceptory, they have done everything to avoid talking directly to us. They will not even talk about the subject of the march. They won't accept people we put forward and it's now actually got to the stage where we will put forward the people we want to represent ourselves and not the people they say they want to talk to.
"I'm not hopeful of any solution being found before August 10th. We will be hoping to go out on the street to do our damnedest to get that march stopped," he said.
Roslea Independent nationalist Cllr Tony McPhillips, has said he hopes the RUC will ban the parade from going through the village following the Drumcree stand off and subsequent violence.
A leading member of Roslea's Gordon and Nixon Memorial Temperance Royal Black Preceptory has said it hopes to follow its traditional route through the village and believe there is no point in negotiating with nationalist residents.
The spokesman said. "I think these negotiations with Enniskillen Together are pointless. The only contact the residents of Roslea have had with us is that we have had windows broken in our hall and sectarian graffiti prayed onto it. This is part of a countrywide agitation. We see no point in negotiating with those who only make demands and simply want demands met. Negotiate is not a word which exists for them. They only want to keep the pot boiling."