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British may make new concessions to save Trimble

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Many observers predict a split in the party is also now inevitable after already bitter internal divisions deepened this week. Trimble himself appears to be relying on the British government to ride to his rescue.
There’s growing speculation that London is preparing to offer unionists a number of concessions that may give Trimble the cover he needs to rally his party behind him. One could be a move to reduce Dublin’s influence on the proposed International Monitoring Commission, which is to keep a watch on how parties abide by their promises under the Good Friday agreement.
The IMC was initially demanded by unionists, after claims the IRA had breached its ceasefire, in the hope it would recommend sanctions against Sinn Fein, but when it appeared other parties would also come under the spotlight, unionists began to voice concerns.
When it emerged that Dublin would nominate one of the IMC’s four members (the other three would be appointed by London and the United States), some anti-agreement unionists said it would amount to giving the Republic a say in how Northern Ireland is governed.
There is now increasing speculation that Dublin’s role would be relegated to a sub-committee — to protect Trimble from his anti-agreement flank — although the SDLP has criticized any such move.
“The SDLP sees no reason for Dublin to be sidelined,” SDLP chairman Alex Attwood said last week. “Unionist attempts to reduce Dublin’s role are bizarre. Do unionists believe that paramilitary activity ends at the border?”
An indication that the UUP believes it can persuade London to set up the IMC in such a way that it would pose a real risk to Sinn Fein was given by UUP member Michael McGimpsey last week.
“The UUP has secured an effective sanctions mechanism that forces republicans to overcome their final hurdle or face exclusion,” he said. “Either they get their private army to stand down and dump arms or else it’s game over as far as a return to Stormont for them is concerned.
“We will have in place an effective means of exclusion should it be needed. This is a hugely significant step. Our continued, unrelenting pressure has also delivered an unambiguous definition of acts of completion.”
Sinn Fein’s national chair, Mitchel McLaughlin, meanwhile, warned that republicans may have to be patient if the kind of unionist leadership that change required had not yet emerged. He said the party would do everything in its power to keep the peace process going and remove the guns from Irish politics. The British government could also help bring an end to the “armed force dimension of Irish republicanism” by fully implementing the agreement.
Meanwhile, Trimble’s critics are in no mood to back down. Jeffrey Donaldson, the MP for Lagan Valley, said that any proposals put forward by London were likely to be inadequate.
“Even if David Trimble is given a comfort blanket on the sanctions issue, it will probably amount to fudge which will not deal with any of the other issues within the [British/Irish] Joint Declaration which are of concern,” he said.

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