Trimble calls for IRA 'acts of completion'

Ulster Unionist Party leader Mr David Trimble has called on the Republican movement to "engage in acts of completion" to help move the peace process forward.

Presenting a UUP paper called "UUP Issues for the Review" today, Mr Trimble said that the process was akin to the "re-arranging of the deck chairs on the Titanic, while the main issue holding up progress has still to be addressed.

"This issue, of course, remains Republican failure to live up to their obligations and engage in acts of completion," continued the UUP leader.

"In the run-up to Leeds Castle, acts of completion had been centre stage; however since then things have been beginning to drift to the point where we are talking about mechanics and minutiae again."

Mr Trimble said all parties were taking up "tactical" positions and are "unwilling to commit and genuinely engage until the impassse is broken.

"This can only happen when the Republican movement clearly and publicly lays out their commitments to early completion of decommissioning, the ending of paramilitary activity and the winding up of their organisation," he added.

"Without the sort of steps I have mentioned my impression is that the present discussions are going to peter out and who knows what the consequences of that will be," he said. "Certainly it will not assist the political process here."

After intensive negotiations at Leeds Castle in Kent last week, Mr Tony Blair and the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, said they believe a resolution had been achieved to the issues of IRA disarmament and parliamentary activity. Mr Blair said he could not believe that the entire process would be frustrated by minor procedural issues, which included matters such as accountability of ministers. Mr Trimble accused the two governments of being at fault for the current deadlock.

"Having started off at Leeds focusing correctly on the issue of paramilitarism they then accepted assurances and then came rushing off after minor issues," he said. "I want them to come back to the major issue and get that resolved in a way that people here can buy into and that means knowing what the detail is and hearing it from the horse's mouth."

The Ulster Unionist leader said there had been differing accounts of what the IRA had offered and it was in the interests of the republican movement to make clear precisely what it was proposing to do.

"What we need to hear from republicans is precisely what they are offering, what did they say to the Prime Minister with regard to decommissioning and about the extent, the manner and timing of it."

additional reporting from PA