Paisley has ‘forthright’ meeting with taoiseach

Paisley claimed the IMC is incapable of giving the IRA a “clean bill of health,” prompting fears it may be the middle or end of next year before talks get under way to restore devolution in Northern Ireland.
The actual restoration of local democracy would, of course, be even later – possibly not before the next Assembly elections due in mid-2007.
Speaking after meeting the taoiseach in Dublin, Paisley said the talks had been “forthright” and that he had told the Irish government that any attempt to give speaking rights to Northern representatives in Dail would be considered an “act of aggression.”
“If it transpires that Northern Ireland MPs are to be treated on an equal basis with those who are members of the Southern parliament, then we would consider that a quasi-constitutional claim on Northern Ireland,” he said.
“Such an unfriendly act of aggression against Northern Ireland’s sovereignty would not be tolerated by us as unionists.” Irish government officials said it appeared the DUP leader had, mistakenly, believed Northern MPs would unofficially be accorded membership of the Dail.
Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern said they had explained the proposal to the DUP “and I think a lot of the misconceptions they had about the idea were dispelled.”
On the main issue, Paisley said the IMC had already told him there was “no prospect” it would give “a clean bill of health” what he termed “IRA/Sinn Fein.”
Asked if saw himself sharing power with Sinn Fein he said: “No. Not with IRA/Sinn Fein.” Echoing previous comments by Irish government ministers, he said he – like them – would be demanding that “terrorism must finish. The IRA has to be disbanded.”
Paisley also criticized what he said was the failure of the Dublin government to extradite the Colombia Three following their recent return.
Sinn Fein’s chief negotiator, Martin McGuinness, has challenged the DUP to stop propping up direct rule over Northern Ireland from London. McGuinness said he wanted Paisley to stand by his word and share power with Sinn Fein now that the IRA had decommissioned its weapons.
He accused Paisley of betraying his own electorate and failing to show the “new confident face of unionism” he promised following the last general election.
“For almost nine months of last year, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern spent many long hours trying to convince Gerry Adams and myself that Ian Paisley would go into government with Sinn Fein if only the issue of arms could be resolved,” he said.
“Ian Paisley told them that the only issue that he was concerned about was the issue of arms – if that could be resolved he was prepared to go into government with Sinn Fein.”
McGuinness said republicans had “delivered big time” by resolving the arms issue and had a right to inquire against that backdrop whether Paisley would respond positively.
“Ian Paisley tells us he is a man of God. I would like to know whether he is a man of his word,” he said.
Sinn Fein published a document this week setting out the cost of direct rule to the lives of ordinary people, claiming unionists were condemning them to devastating policies, which undermined the economy.
The party warned that if direct rule was allowed to continue, it would result in rising hospital waiting lists, a failure to address academic under-achievement and continued poverty and deprivation.
Sinn Fein’s document, which was launched at Stormont by Gerry Adams, Mitchel McLaughlin and Michelle Gildernew, called on London to give a new power-sharing executive a peace dividend to address decades of infrastructural neglect.
Sinn Fein also pledged to press in a revived Assembly for an anti-poverty strategy to tackle unemployment, low pay, childcare and educational and health inequalities in deprived communities.