UUP leader Mr David Trimble today warned the British Government that suspension of the Northern executive would not cure its problems. Mr Trimble said the only solution was for republicans to fulfil their part of the Belfast Agreement by disbanding the IRA.
He told BBC Radio 4's Todayprogramme from the Tory conference in Bournemouth, where he is attending a fringe debate: "The best thing that could be done is for the republican movement to fulfil its undertakings given in the (Belfast) agreement, commit itself exclusively to peaceful means and gets rid of the private army.
Suspension though would "not cure the instability", he warned.
He also dismissed the idea of bringing forward Assembly elections, saying, " "Will (elections) cure that or make it worse? I'm not sure it will cure it and indeed in some respects it may make it worse."
But Mr Trimble dismissed the idea he was "scared" of early elections, adding, "I'm not scared of elections, I'm quite happy to have elections and of course they are scheduled for May next year."
He said the Government had to tackle the "underlying" problems, adding: "Suspension is not going to cure the problem. The thing you have got to focus on is what is the cause of the instability and how do we cure it.
I would like the Government to tackle the cause of the instability and that means bringing it home to the republican leadership that four and a half years after the agreement was made it's about time they implemented it," he added.
PA