Senior Ulster Unionists have said the retention of the Royal Ulster Constabulary name and badge is now as important to them as paramilitary decommissioning.

Ulster Unionist leader and First Minister David Trimble attended a meeting of his party's 100 member executive called by some members who are angry about the proposed Patten reforms of the RUC, on Monday night.

The party executive passed a motion saying the issue of policing reform would be raised by the UUP during any future review of the Good Friday Agreement.

After meeting for over two hours at the UUP's Glengall Street headquarters in Belfast, the executive said it was disappointed by the decision of the government to "accept the more controversial recommendations" of the Patten Commission on policing.

The motion added: "While continuing to oppose changes during the passage of legislation to implement Patten's recommendations, the Ulster Unionist Party will also raise these issues in the course of any review or further inter-party talks and will require them to be satisfactorily resolved."

Protesters heckle Trimble

Mr Trimble was heckled by women from Belfast's loyalist Shankill Road protesting against the Patten reforms who called him "traitor".

He did not comment after the meeting although party sources described the debate as "reasoned".

Speaking afterwards Jim Rodgers, one of four honorary party secretaries, said the Patten reforms were now just as important to members as decommissioning.

"In many people's eyes the name of the RUC and the setting up of partnership boards is equally important as disarmament.

"That's how I feel about it. I know many people share my views and I have no doubt that if the assembly and executive is suspended later this week, what we will find is that the police will be brought forward in any review or further inter-party talks."

Hardline Ulster Unionist MP Willie Ross said: "It is as important to the unionist community and I think therefore it has to be as important in this party."

Trimble to face party council

He said his party was not shifting the political goalposts because "the party has always been opposed to Patten".

The official linkage of RUC reform with the current political crisis over paramilitary decommissioning will make Mr Trimble's position even more difficult if he enters a review of the peace process.

The UUP leader has been preparing to meet his party's 860 member ruling council on Saturday to review progress on decommissioning and will be faced with questions about his commitment to resign from the executive if the IRA do not decommission.

If the UUP ruling council also calls for linkage between policing reform and political progress, then Mr Trimble and his negotiators will have even less room for manoeuvre to try to work out a deal with republicans over arms.

There was no discussion at the UUP executive meeting of a motion drafted by a former ally of David Trimble, David Burnside who wants the party to make retention of the RUC name a precondition of its participation in any future assembly executive.

Mr Burnside may instead put his motion to the party's ruling council.

But Sinn Fein chairman Mitchel McLaughlin has ccused the party of attempting to renegotiate the Good Friday Agreement.

However, Anti-agreement Ulster Unionist MP William Thompson said that unionist confidence in the agreement was at an all time low.

"I think people are starting to wonder what is the point of the new relationship if we have to give so much all the time," he said.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson announced that the government had accepted the bulk of the Patten reforms in January.

The changes, recommended by former Hong Kong governor Chris Patten, caused widespread anger in unionist circles, where the RUC is seen as a bulwark against terrorism.

Sinn Fein has said the changes do not go far enough and have demanded the complete disbandment of the RUC.