Trimble backs NI deal

Will Trimble lead Ulster Unionists back to Stormont?

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has said he is now ready to support the proposals to return to Northern Ireland's powersharing executive alongside Sinn Fein.

Mr Trimble said he had received the assurances he needed to recommend the Hillsborough proposals and the IRA offer to put its arms beyond use to his party's ruling council.

But the meeting scheduled for Saturday of the 860-member body has been postponed for a week to allow Mr Trimble and his supporters to persuade those who remain opposed to the deal that it offers the best way forward.

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness has welcomed the Ulster Unionist leader's positive recommendation for a return of the executive suspended in February.

Speaking on BBC Northern Ireland, Mr Trimble said his decision to back the return of power-sharing was made only after receiving assurances about the IRA arms offer as late as Wednesday.

"There's a mistaken idea that this question of having dumps that are sealed and inspected is what we're talking about - no it is not.

"The Government has made it absolutely clear that beyond use means decommissioning in accordance with the decommissioning scheme under statute which will remain unchanged and which talks about destruction and making things permanently unuseable and permanently inaccessible.

"The IRA have said they will do this in a complete manner, in a verifiable manner, in a credible manner - I think we need to test that to see if that's what they're going to do because that's what they have to do."

Mr Trimble's decision to postpone the meeting was taken after a series of discussions involving the party's assembly members and the party president, Sir Josias Cunningham.

Ulster Unionist party officers confirmed the meeting will be held on 27 May.

Both the British and Irish governments had hoped to see the power-sharing executive reinstated on Monday 22 May.

Peter Mandelson: Would rather delay for positive decision

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson has described the postponement as the "correct decision".

"David Trimble has been clarifying some issues and driving a hard bargain over others. Now he needs time to present the outcome to his party,"

He said he was confident that Mr Trimble would be successful and the way would then be paved for the return to powersharing.

"Nationalists and republicans who want this progress will understand the need for the breathing space while unionists agree on the way forward.

"I would rather delay a week for a good result than rush forward now."

The postponement follows confirmation from Downing Street that it had "come to the end" of its process to meet unionist concerns.

"We have set out the position in terms of flags. We have, we believe, gone some way to meeting concerns in terms of policing and names, consistent with the framework of the Good Friday Agreement.

"It is for David Trimble and his party to reach their own decision but we believe that a major step forward has been taken here and we hope we can build on that."

Hardline Ulster Unionist Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson said he did not believe that weapons would be put beyond use.

"What we actually need to know and hear from the IRA is are they going to decommission their weapons?

"We haven't had any clarification from the IRA."

Anti-Agreement Democratic Unionist Nigel Dodds said peole who read the detail would realise the IRA offer did not amount to decommissioning.

"David Trimble has got nothing to sell to the unionist council. I'm amazed the meeting is taking place at all," he said.

Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness welcomed the "positive recommendation" from the Ulster Unionist leader.

"What I want to see now is those unionists who say they are pro (Good Friday) Agreement go out and support this. I hope David Trimble is successful and we can all move forward together."

Mark Durkan, the former SDLP Minister for Finance in the power-sharing executive, said he was disappointed devolution wouldn't be restored on Monday but he urged London and Dublin to support Mr Trimble in trying to get his party to back the deal.

He said: "The British and Irish governments owe it to the rest of us to try and work with the rest of us to manage the politics over the next week in a positive way and ways that are helpful to David Trimble delivering a positive result."

Irish foreign minister Brian Cowan said he was "hopeful" that the IRA offer would remain on the table as the effort to sell the deal to Ulster Unionists continued.

"I think that the British government have indicated that the clarifications have been given an there now is an opportunity for the Ulster Unionist Council to finalise their consideration."

Mr Trimble now faces a hectic week of media appearances and campaigning among his party's grass roots membership to sell the deal.