Deal dissidents 'in the minority'

Peter Hain said there was only one chance to get devolution under way

Opposition to the St Andrew's Agreement is a minority within the DUP and Sinn Fein, Peter Hain has said.

The Northern Ireland secretary of state said he believed the leaderships of both parties wanted to make the political process work.

Mr Hain wrote to party leaders on Tuesday stressing that the government will not delay the March deadlines for an assembly election or devolution.

"There are obviously dissident voices within the DUP and Sinn Fein," he said.

"It's inevitable when you get to this crunch moment that people, perhaps those who have never supported policing and the rule of law in (the cae of) some of Sinn Fein's members, or never supported power-sharing in the case of the DUP, some of them will duck out and say 'it's not for me'.

"Well I think they will be in a minority, because the leaderships and the majority of both parties want to do this deal and want to do what the people of Northern Ireland want."

Speaking on Tuesday, Prime Minister Tony Blair said devolution could be restored in March.

"Now Sinn Fein has got to deliver, the DUP have got to deliver, everyone's got to deliver on their commitments," he said.

The choice is set in statute, either restoration and executive ministers in place on 26 March or indefinite dissolution Peter Hain

"But provided there is a clear delivery of those commitments, then there's absolutely no reason at all why you can't have 26 March as the time when government is devolved - and that would be a tremendous step forward for people in Northern Ireland."

Mr Hain's deadline warning came as Sinn Fein prepared to hold a conference on supporting the police - crucial to the brokered deal.

If an election does not occur, Stormont will be dissolved indefinitely.

The transitional assembly at Stormont will dissolve on 30 January in anticipation of an election on 7 March.

In his letter to unionist, nationalist and cross-community party leaders, Mr Hain wrote: "There is only one chance to get devolution up and running and that is 26 March.

"Everyone involved needs to understand that.

Tony Blair said devolution could be restored in March

"The choice is set in statute, either restoration and executive ministers in place on 26 March or indefinite dissolution.

"On that date, the parties are required to form an executive and if that does not happen, the assembly is dissolved indefinitely the next day.

"These provisions and their consequences cannot be changed except by further primary legislation which would have to be agreed by parliament before 30 January. There is no parliamentary time to do so."

If an election fails to take place, Stormont will close and the current 108 assembly members' salaries and allowances will be stopped.

The government will also implement the ban on academic selection as well as repeal changes introduced under the St Andrews Act relating to the ministerial code, the pledge of office and the arrangement for appointing first and deputy first ministers will also be automatically repealed.

Sinn Fein's national executive approved plans on Saturday for the conference in Dublin on 28 January, during which 2,000 members are expected to consider giving their support for the police service in Northern Ireland.

Meanwhile, the Mid Ulster Sinn Fein assembly member Geraldine Dougan has registered as an independent.

Ms Dougan has not commented on her reasons.

The move takes the number of Sinn Fein votes at Stormont down to 22, as both Ms Dougan and the Newry and Armagh MLA Davey Hyland have now left the Sinn Fein group.