Parades 'not meant to heighten tension'

Orangemen want to walk a 'traditional route'

Protestant Orangemen have denied that an application for another parade at Drumcree is an attempt to heighten tension at the scene of Northern Ireland's most contentious marching dispute.

Portadown Orangemen have applied to the Northern Ireland Parades Commission to hold an additional parade on 9 July, having already asked for permission to hold parades from 2-8 July.

The annual parade is usually held on the Sunday before 12 July, the main day of the Protestant marching calendar in Northern Ireland.

But it has been surrounded in tension for the past five years.

Orangemen want to return to their Orange Hall by marching through the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road area of Portadown, County Armagh - against the wishes of many residents.

The Parades Commission has imposed restrictions on the march for the past two years, which prevented it going down the Garvaghy Road.

David Jones: 'No attempt at heightening tension'

But spokesman for Portadown Orangemen David Jones said they wanted the issue resolved.

"We have worked tirelessly to try and get the matter resolved, through the different proximity talks and different levels of talks that we have been in over this period of two years, and even before the two years," he said.

"We have always said we wanted the matter to be settled sooner, rather than later. We would like to see the matter resolved quickly that everything could at least return to a process of normality."

On Saturday, Portadown Orangemen hosted their annual mini-twelfth parade.

Around 1,000 Orangemen and bands paraded through Portadown town centre watched by hundreds of local people.

Brian Currin has been accepted as Drumcree mediator

District Master Harold Gracey repeated his opposition to direct talks with the Garvaghy Road residents over the marches, and said he was in no position to do deals with anyone.

A series of talks on the Drumcree issue with UK Government officials have failed to broker a resolution to the dispute over the route of the parade.

However, SDLP sssembly member for Upper Bann Brid Rodgers has said the Drumcree dispute could, and should, be resolved locally.

She also urged Orangemen and nationalist residents opposed to the parade not to hinder South African human rights lawyer Brian Currin who is trying to mediate in the dispute.

"Everybody knows that there has been disruption, trauma, instability, even death over the last five years in Portadown," she said.

"The message that I am getting very clearly from both sides of the community is that they want this thing resolved.

"They want to get on with their lives and they don't want a continuation of what they have to put up with these past five years."

Mr Currin met nationalist residents opposed to the annual parade, as well as Orangemen and government officials last week.