Hain challenged over paramilitaries 'deal'
Peter Hain was today challenged to confirm whether or not a deal had been struck with Gerry Adams to allow exiled paramilitaries back to the North in return for Sinn Féin's endorsement of the police force.
As Mr Adams urged Sinn Féin’s executive in Dublin to back his plan for a special party conference on policing, DUP chairman Lord Morrow asked what concessions had been granted by the British government in return for a move by republicans to support the PSNI.
He was joined by another senior DUP figure, the party’s MEP Jim Allister, in warning the British government that its timeframe for achieving power-sharing in the North by next March was impossible.
Lord Morrow said the convening of Sinn Féin’s executive to consider a special party conference at the end of January was "too little, too late".
He argued: “With government pencilling in March 7 as election day and March 26 as dates for devolution to be restored, it is patently obvious that Sinn Féin/IRA cannot deliver to the satisfaction of unionists in such a short space of time.
“Indeed government itself has still to deliver on a wide-ranging package of confidence-building measures but to date has shown no urgency whatsoever to deliver on these, but rather are more exercised in indulging Sinn Féin/IRA.
“Unionists today are asking the question, what further concessions has government given in return for this latest statement by Adams?
“The Secretary of State must spell out in clear unambiguous terms what new concessions are to be delivered by government.
“On The Runs (OTRs) has been one of Sinn Féin/IRA’s demands for movement. Are we now to accept that this has been delivered?”
In January, Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain dramatically pulled plans for controversial legislation which would have allowed terror suspects to return to the North without ever being jailed.
Mr Hain withdrew the Northern Ireland (Offences) Bill after it attracted fierce criticism on all sides.
However, Sinn Féin has been keen to resolve the issue of on-the-run IRA members being allowed to return home.
Lord Morrow predicted the British government would only reveal if an on-the-runs deal had been struck when the time was deemed right by London, Dublin and republicans.
With a deadline of May 2008 for the devolution of policing, he reminded Mr Hain that the DUP’s deputy leader, Peter Robinson and party secretary, Nigel Dodds had made the party’s position abundantly clear that this would not happen within a political lifetime.
“Again, what we have got from Adams are more words,” he observed.
“When unionists see delivery on policing not only in words but in deeds, the ending of criminality, the pulling down of the paramilitary structures; not only must all these things be done, but more importantly, they must be seen to be done.
“It is then, and only then, that unionists will feel that republicans are sincere in moving on. Unionists take little comfort from Adams’ latest pronouncement, bearing in mind that we have been here before.
“Sinn Féin/IRA’s words and actions can only be tested over a creditable testing period.”
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