Sinn Fein challenges Unionist veto

Gerry Adams: We've tried to resolve this politically

Sinn Fein has given the British and Irish Governments and David Trimble notice that it intends to launch a legal challenge against the exclusion of Sinn Fein ministers from cross-border bodies.

Party president Gerry Adams said on Wednesday that the action would be brought within the following 24 hours.

The move to block official status from the Sinn Fein ministers at North-South meetings was sanctioned by the Ulster Unionist ruling council.

It was one of a number of measures aimed at forcing the IRA to "significantly re-engage" with the body overseeing decommissioning but it has infuriated republicans.

David Trimble is in breach of his obligations under the Good Friday Agreement

Gerry Adams

Mr Adams said he had spoken to the Irish Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, Prime Minister Tony Blair and Mr Trimble over the last day.

He had also had lengthy talks with Mr Blair and Mr Ahern over the past 12 days to try to overcome the deadlock.

"We have tried to resolve this matter politically," he said. "We will continue in contact with both governments, but I have little confidence in the British Government's management of this process.

David Trimble: Pressing sanctions on Sinn Fein ministers

"The reality is that David Trimble is in breach of his obligations under the Good Friday Agreement and Mr Mandelson (Northern Ireland Secretary) is refusing to use his authority to defend the agreement.

"Sinn Fein is not prepared to tolerate this emasculation of the Agreement by the first minister nor to acquiesce in the progressive termination of the All-Ireland Ministerial Council."

The Sinn Fein president warned there was little room for manoeuvre, with Mr Trimble set to scrap another cross-border meeting set for Friday week.

Mr Adams said there were a number of legal options open to Sinn Fein.

Either the party itself could take a case against David Trimble or Mr Mandelson or the party officers or the ministers themselves, Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brun, could instigate court action.

He said the outcome of legal action was uncertain but he said Sinn Fein must defend the agreement it signed.

He warned "rejectionists" within the government and unionism that whatever happened to the Good Friday Agreement, the changes within it would go ahead anyway.

Sir Reg Empey: Dismissed threat of legal action

Meanwhile, Sinn Fein's threat of legal action has been dismissed by Ulster Unionist Sir Reg Empey as "nothing more than a protracted stunt".

On Wednesday, Sir Reg said: "As a Unionist I find it amusing to see Sinn Fein continually running to seek British justice in British courts considering they have spent an awful lot of time denigrating the courts.

"We have to ask what is all this going to get? Whether or not we win, it does not mean that the matter is going to get resolved as this is a political issue.

"What we are asking the IRA to do is what the IRA said it would do in May and that is to discuss with the decommissioning body how they will put their weapons completely and verifiably beyond use. That is their language."

Sir Reg said Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and his party had done everything required of it under the Good Friday agreement but republican and loyalist paramilitaries had not honoured their obligations on disarmament.