Assembly backs Agreement motion

Agreement principles were discussed at Stormont

A motion supporting the principles of the Good Friday Agreement has been passed in the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Ulster Unionists abstained after failing in an attempt to amend the motion at Stormont on Tuesday.

During the debate, South Belfast assembly member Michael McGimpsey accused republicans of being the main threat to the peace process.

He said Sinn Fein's claim that it was committed to the Agreement was hypocritical.

Sinn Fein's Pat Doherty proposed motion

"The bottom line is Sinn Fein and republicanism are in this house the key threat to this process.

"They are the main threat to the executive, to the assembly to the whole process itself."

Mr McGimpsey said events in Colombia where three republicans face charges of training rebel guerillas highlighted the issue.

Policing

Sinn Fein's Pat Doherty, who tabled the motion, said unionists were afraid of debating the fundamental issues of equality and inclusiveness contained in the Agreement.

It followed an Ulster Unionist amendment calling on all parties to support the new police service.

So far, Sinn Fein has refused to take its seats on the Policing Board and back the new service.

"If they want to address the question of policing then let's go back to the Good Friday Agreement and what it promised - a new beginning to policing," said Mr Doherty.

Alex Attwood of the SDLP accused both republicans and unionists of dishonouring the principles of the Agreement and hit out at Sinn Fein's position on policing.

He said his party had got it right over police reform, adding he looked forward to debating the issue with Sinn Fein.

Alliance Party leader David Ford, supporting the amendment, said very few parties had lived up to their obligations to the Agreement.

"That's why we should not just be debating today support for the principles of the Agreement but we should be looking how we should be working to bring that to fruition," he said.

When put to the assembly, the amendment fell because the UUP had broken an assembly standing order.

The motion was eventually passed 34 votes to 29.