Rector hopes for parade resolution

Reverend John Pickering: "There is a basis to build on"

The rector of Drumcree parish has said he is confident the dispute over the controversial Orange Order parade from the church can be resolved.

The Reverend John Pickering said he was pinning his hopes on a civic forum which would create a breakthrough in the impasse in County Armagh.

The parade has been barred from marching down the nationalist Garvaghy Road in Portadown for the fourth consecutive year.

The Order wants to use the route on its return journey from a Somme Commemoration service at Drumcree Parish Church, but the march is opposed by nationalist residents.

Blast bomb

The Reverend Pickering said: "I believe that there is a basis there to build upon.

"But at the moment we are dealing with the basis and getting a start made."

Church of Ireland primate, Lord Eames, said this July had seen a leap forward in the Drumcree dispute.

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster on Sunday, he said he hoped the situation could be resolved before next year's parade.

The army has removed security measures

On Saturday, the security forces discovered a blast bomb in a field at Drumcree.

Army bomb disposal officers earlier carried out a controlled explosion on a suspicious object.

It was found in a field near the temporary army base. The area was cordoned off.

The RUC later described the device as a blast bomb.

The alert came as security was being scaled down at Drumcree following the controversial Orange Order parade.

Last Sunday's parade passed off peacefully.

However, later a crowd of loyalist protesters threw petrol bombs at security forces.

Security fence

A huge steel and concrete security barrier had been put in place to prevent the Orangemen from proceeding down the Garvaghy Road.

A crowd of 400 people gathered at Drumcree hill and a small section of them threw stones and petrol bombs over the top of the security fence.

But the Royal Ulster Constabulary described the trouble as "minor".

A verbal protest was made by the Orangemen at the barrier

Last year, province-wide protests in support of the Orangemen led to widespread disruption as roads were blocked and loyalist rioting marked several nights of violence.

However, the atmosphere during the day was calm as more than 2,000 Orangemen began their annual parade from Carleton Street on Sunday morning and moved countryward along the Corcrain Road, to the hill at Drumcree.

They then attended the church service where a letter was read out from Lord Eames, in which he appealed for any protest to be "lawful and dignified."

The Order's grand master, Robert Saulters, vowed that the battle to parade down the road would continue.

The Orangemen then walked back up the hill and dispersed.