Trimble: Arms issue rests with government

Mr Trimble heads a UUP delegation to the meeting

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has said the responsibility for the decommissioning of paramilitary weapons rests with the government.

The first minister was speaking after meeting the head of the international decommissioning body, General John de Chastelain on Monday.

The failure of the IRA to hand over weapons in the peace process is one of the stumbling blocks to political progress.

Mr Trimble, who retained his position as leader of his party on Saturday, has already said there are only weeks left to save the peace process once he resigns as first minister.

He said on Monday: "He (the general) instead of being purely passive and reactive should now take the initiative by requiring paramilitaries to act."

He said the UUP was disappointed the commission had not been more proactive.

Mr Trimble was accompanied to the meeting by party colleagues Ken Maginnis and Michael McGimpsey.

Earlier, Mr Trimble described press reports that he will quit the Ulster Unionists to join the Tory front bench as "wildly speculative".

"I have no intention of leaving Northern Ireland or ceasing to be leader of the Ulster Unionist Party," he said.

Talks could lead to Ulster Unionist Party MPs becoming front bench spokesmen

Andrew Hunter Conservative MP

"As a party we are involved in British national politics and of course we try to make friends for unionism in Westminster and I think anything beyond that is just wildly speculative."

However, a Conservative MP confirmed that a series of talks have been held with the UUP that could lead to a new political alliance at Westminster.

Andrew Hunter, the MP for Basingstoke, has said the discussions were at an exploratory stage but could lead to the UUP re-affiliating to the Conservatives.

Mr Hunter dismissed talk that Mr Trimble was about to join the Tories but said the talks could lead to Ulster Unionist Party MPs becoming front bench spokesmen.

He also confirmed that Michael Ancram, a former Northern Ireland Office minister and Tory Chairman and now a leadership candidate, has had talks with Mr Trimble.

'Take stock'

Mr Trimble was re-elected as party leader with no challenge from anti-Good Friday Agreement members on Saturday.

However, his re-election at the annual general meeting of his party's ruling council in Belfast is only likely to give him a temporary respite from his critics.

Speculation about a leadership challenge had intensified following losses for the Ulster Unionists to the anti-Agreement Democratic Unionist Party in the general and local government elections last month.

Many members of the party are also increasingly unhappy about the IRA's refusal to start actual decommissioning and what they see as increasing concessions to nationalists on policing under the Good Friday Agreement.

Hardliners, including Jeffrey Donaldson, decided to back Mr Trimble because of his commitment to resign as first minister of the assembly by 1 July if the IRA has not started decommissioning.

But Mr Donaldson said the party would have to take stock again at the end of the summer.