Sinn Fein begins veto challenge

Legal proceedings are being launched in the High Court

Northern Ireland's Sinn Fein health minister has begun legal proceedings over her party's exclusion from meetings of cross-border ministerial bodies.

The move to ban Sinn Fein ministers from North-South Ministerial Council meetings was put forward by Ulster Unionist leader and First Minister David Trimble, and ratified by the party's ruling council.

It was one of a number of measures aimed at forcing the IRA to "significantly re-engage" with the body set up to oversee decommissioning.

However, Sinn Fein health minister Bairbre de Brun said she had instructed her solicitors to lodge judicial review proceedings in the High Court in Northern Ireland on Thursday afternoon.

Speaking at Stormont, Ms de Brun said: "The first minister is in breach of his pledge of office, the ministerial code and the Good Friday Agreement.

Bairbre de Brun is taking legal action

"I have a responsibility to challenge any action which seeks to prevent me from fulfilling my responsibilities as a minister. I fully intend to do so."

A move to impose the sanctions on Sinn Fein was part of a six-point plan proposed by Mr Trimble, in an attempt to get movement on disarmament.

But the ban has infuriated both republicans and nationalists.

Party chairman Mitchel McLaughlin said Ms de Brun had taken legal action not on behalf of the party, but in her capacity as a minister.

He said Sinn Fein, as a political party, may subsequently decide to take its own action.

He added: "We have been given a clearance in relation to our efforts to resolve this matter politically and diplomatically.

"We had come to the view that we should launch a legal action. But Bairbre de Brun's announcement this morning will have to now be factored into our planning and our thinking on this matter."

The Sinn Fein minister confirmed the case would be funded by public money, a move which was described as "crazy" by the Ulster Unionist Party assembly member, Alan McFarland.

Speaking on Thursday, Mr McFarland said: ""If we are now saying that the minister is using precious public money from the health service to pursue a vendetta against the UUP that's crazy."

On Wednesday, party president Gerry Adams said he had given notice to the British and Irish Governments and the UUP leader about the legal challenge.

Mr Adams said he had spoken at length to UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and his Irish counterpart, Bertie Ahern over the past 12 days, to try to break the deadlock.