N.Ireland peace promoter standing down

One of the main supporters of the peace process in Northern Ireland has announced he's leaving national politics.

Ken Maginnis, who's a leading figure in the biggest Protestant party, the Ulster Unionists, says he'll retire as a British MP at the next general election, which is expected within a few months.

The BBC Political Correspondent says the announcement is a blow to the party leader and Northern Ireland first minister, David Trimble, who's been resisting calls to take a tougher line over forcing the IRA to disarm.

Mr Maginnis, who's sixty-two, has survived several attempts on his life during eighteen years in politics.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service