DUP rejoins Executive and vows to force out Sinn Fein
From IRISH TIMES May 31st, 2000
By Deaglan De Breadun
The Democratic Unionist Party has embarked on a campaign to bring down the
Belfast Agreement which may involve the temporary resignation of its two
ministers, Mr Peter Robinson and Mr Nigel Dodds, and the nomination of short-term
replacements to ensure the posts cannot be filled by pro-agreement parties.
Within weeks, the DUP will seek to present the required 30 names for a motion
to exclude Sinn Fein from the Executive. If it secures the requisite number
of signatures, the party will look for Assembly time before the end of June
to debate the motion. Nationalist opposition would ensure that no such motion
was carried but the DUP would be seeking the support of 60 per cent of unionist
Assembly members who could then form a cohesive bloc to exercise a veto
over the implementation of the agreement. Mr Robinson expected the motion
to exclude Sinn Féin would most likely be taken on June 17th. "We have already got 25 signatures in one day." In the event that the motion did not attract
60 per cent unionist support, Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds would temporarily
resign from their posts as Minister for Regional Development and Minister
for Social Development, respectively. Procedural loopholes would be used
to ensure they were not replaced by members of pro-agreement parties. "We shall deny the supporters of the agreement these two posts. We intend to make a series of short-term ministerial appointments replacing resigning ministers with others at regular intervals," a party document stated. Appointees
would act "in a holding capacity only" and would not be bound by any ministerial
code of conduct. "This new policy will apply up to the next Westminster general election." Upon their expected resignation, Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds
would take a central role "in the wider campaign toachieve the electoral defeat of Trimble and his republican agenda". DUP ministers, committee chairs
and ordinary Assembly members would contribute a proportion of their income
to a campaign fund. The new DUP strategy to destroy the agreement was revealed
after a meeting of the party's 92-member executive in east Belfast last
night. An Ulster Unionist Party spokesman described the DUP plan as "inventive but cowardly". It was a "cynical" move because it would only apply until
the next Westminster election when, presumably, Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds
would take their ministerial posts again. "I think people will see through it. The DUP will suffer because there will be very low-calibre people taking decisions in those departments". The Northern Secretary, Mr Mandelson, said he wanted to see both Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds participating fully as ministers.
"That is the basis on which they stood for election," he added. "They shouldn't
turn their backs on their own supporters now." At a news conference, the
DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, said the current process and the Belfast
Agreement were "an attempt to silence the unionist community and force them
to embrace a United Ireland policy. We can't rely on the Ulster Unionist
Party, that's been proven. We don't believe that it's possible to rely on
the Assembly to do the job but we are going to test that, to see whether
we can apply a veto by getting 60 per cent of the unionists in the Assembly.
But if those options are out of the way, then the only way of defeating
the Belfast Agreement and its derivatives is by getting the majority of
the unionist electorate to turf Trimble out," Mr Robinson said. Mr Mandelson
will be in Dublin today and is due to have talks with the Minister for Foreign
Affairs, Mr Cowen. Senior sources said the purpose of the meeting was to
carry out "a stock-take after the success of devolution". |
