Trimble: Devolution 'not irreversible'

Party leader will sell Stormont message across province

Ulster Unionists would not be locked into government with republicans if the IRA fails to deliver on decommissioning, according to the party leader.

David Trimble is trying to sell his party a deal which would see them return to a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland.

He has exactly one week to convince the majority of the 860 members of the party's ruling council that they should accept the IRA's offer to put their weapons "beyond use", and go back into the Stormont assembly.

Speaking on BBC NI's Inside Politics programme on Saturday, Mr Trimble said if the Ulster Unionist council votes in favour of returning the assembly executive, it would not be irreversible.

"There is some concern, I know, within the party, that if we move on this then we are locked into a situation. That's simply not the case.

"I remember saying last weekend, drawing attention to the use of irreversible in the IRA statement with regard to the political process.

"It's not irreversible for us until it becomes irreversible for them. Not until they become irreversibly committed to peace and democracy are we irreversibly committed to any other situation at all."

The ruling council will vote next Saturday in what is being seen as a defining moment in the party's history, Mr Trimble's leadership, and possibly the whole peace process in Northern Ireland.

Ian Paisley: Opponents need electoral strategy

However, the leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, Rev Ian Paisley has said if Ulster Unionists go back into government, opponents of the Good Friday Agreement would have to defeat it with a long term electoral strategy.

Speaking on the same programme, he said: "We have always made clear that we will do everything we can to stop the republican agenda and the united Ireland scenario.

"We have not given up on that and will not give up on that. We will use our postilion where we have it to do that."

Earlier, writing in the Belfast-based unionist newspaper The News Letter, Mr Trimble said the IRA offer to put its arms beyond use must eventually lead to decommissioning.

He said the suspension of the devolved executive in February, because of an impasse over paramilitary arms decommissioning, had forced the IRA to make "an unprecedented offer".

"The legislation makes provision for an alternative to handing over weapons - that means making them permanently inaccessible and unusable," he wrote.

"There is no difference in practical terms... this is decommissioning."

Ulster Unionists are bitterly divided over the latest deal and a series of private meetings has been lined up across the province to help Mr Trimble get his message across.

His close associates have not been prepared at this stage to predict the outcome of next week's vote in Belfast. Senior party officials estimate that one third of members are still undecided.

It's very difficult to assess how things will go but it's up to us to really concentrate on putting our case.

Sir Reg Empey

Leading Ulster Unionist Sir Reg Empey backs Mr Trimble in believing the IRA's willingness to let independent inspectors check its arms dumps is a good enough basis to get back to working in government with republicans.

Sir Reg, who was a minister in the suspended executive, said: "It's very difficult to assess how things will go but it's up to us to really concentrate on putting our case and putting it well."

A majority of Ulster Unionists backed David Trimble at the time of the referendum on the Good Friday Agreement two years ago.

But the IRA's refusal to actually hand over any weapons has led to doubts among some unionists who insist on arms being surrendered before they share power with republicans again.

As well as fears that the IRA's offer falls short of real decommissioning, there is great resentment about proposed new policing measures.

Concerns over the flying of the Union Flag have also heightened unease inside the party.