Trimble: 'Arms strategy may fail'

The sanctions have deepened Stormont divisions

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has admitted that his tactic of barring Sinn Fein from cross-border ministerial meetings may fail to secure progress on the arms issue.

However, the province's first minister said that he had no other option but to impose sanctions on Sinn Fein, in an attempt to force the IRA to move on decommissioning.

Last weekend, the party's ruling council backed Mr Trimble's plan to exclude Sinn Fein ministers from meetings of the North-South Ministerial Council, unless the IRA restarts talks with the International Decommissioning Commission.

It was part of a six-point plan put forward by Mr Trimble, which was thought to represent a hardening of his stance on IRA disarmament.

David Trimble: Admitted strategy might fail

But speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme on Saturday, Mr Trimble admitted there was a danger that his approach would not succeed.

"Of course there's a danger," he said. "There is no political approach that is guaranteed success.

"But this is the best opportunity, the best policy we have in the present circumstances.

"For us to sit back and do nothing in response to the violence, in response to the republican failure to keep their promises, would have resulted in the destruction of the agreement very quickly indeed."

The sanctions move has led to a deepening rift in Northern Ireland's power-sharing executive, as it has angered both Sinn Fein and the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party.

Sinn Fein has wants to challenge the sanction, but party leader Gerry Adams is to speak to Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Mandelson before going ahead with legal action.

'Mother of all crises'

Mr Adams, who will have talks with UK Prime Minister Tony Blair in London on Tuesday, said he believes the IRA will honour its commitments over arms.

He said: "I think the IRA has always kept its commitments and I think that the history of the IRA shows that they are honorable and they keep commitments made by them.

"The onus is clearly upon the British Government to keep the promises it made, to allow the IRA to keep the commitments which it made."

Earlier, the party's education minister Martin McGuinness warned that the Good Friday Agreement was facing destruction if the sanctions were not lifted.

"We will be in a very, very serious situation indeed," he told the Inside Politics programme.

"The executive will be grievously undermined, the all-Ireland institutions will be grievously undermined and we will face the mother of all crises within this process.

Martin McGuinness: "Move could create mother of all crises"

"What needs to happen is that the British Government, in particular, need to begin at long last to defend the Good Friday Agreement."

The comments came after Friday's planned meeting of the North-South Ministerial Council was cancelled by Mr Trimble.

A meeting between health minister Bairbre de Brun and her Republic of Ireland counterpart went ahead, although it was outside the auspices of the council.

The meeting, which was also attended by Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon, was seen as a "face saving" gesture by unionists.

However, Ms de Brun and Irish health minister Micheal Martin insisted real work was done on issues affecting cross-border health at the meeting.

The NSMC is one of the political structures set up under the Good Friday Agreement and is particularly important to nationalists.

The council and six cross-border bodies are aimed at promoting co-operation between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland on areas of common concern.

Next week will see an intensive round of meetings as the British and Irish governments continue to try to find a way out of the current impasse.