Crisis talks held after Trimble setback
Crisis talks to rescue the Northern Ireland Assembly were taking place between the Government and a cross community party today as speculation mounted that there could be another bid to elect new First and Deputy First Ministers.
Northern Ireland Secretary John Reid was holding emergency talks with the Alliance Party at Stormont’s Castle Buildings in a bid to persuade the cross community party to redesignate its five Assembly members as unionists.
The talks were taking place just hours after Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble and nationalist SDLP Assembly member Mark Durkan failed to get elected to the two top posts in the power-sharing executive.
Both men attracted the full support of nationalists but fell agonisingly short of the 50% plus one threshold of unionist support they also required to be elected.
But unionist and nationalist sources were focusing on the possibility that Alliance leader David Ford and his Assembly team might be persuaded to redesignate as unionists to give Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan a comfortable margin of victory in a second vote either today or tomorrow.
The Northern Ireland parties have until midnight tomorrow to elect new First and Deputy First Ministers.
If they fail to do so the Government could either suspend the institutions for one day to change the voting system in the Assembly or hold fresh Stormont elections.
But unionist and nationalist sources believed in the wake of today’s vote that the Assembly could be recalled ‘‘within the next 24 hours’’ for another vote.
A unionist source said: ‘‘There have been a lot of intense discussions going on involving Alliance and the Government.
‘‘The Government is keen to resolve this situation quickly and I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that the Assembly could be recalled either today or tomorrow to vote again on Trimble and Durkan for first and deputy first ministers.
‘‘It would mean the five Alliance Assembly members redesignating as unionists as that would guarantee their election as first and deputy first ministers.’’
A nationalist source said: ‘‘With the deadline for a new first and deputy first minister elapsing at midnight tomorrow, there is nothing to stop them running the vote again. I imagine there is an awful lot of tough talking going on.’’
At around 2.30pm, Alliance leader David Ford and deputy leader Eileen Bell became the first party leaders to meet Dr Reid in the wake of today’s Assembly vote.
The talks were taking place at Castle Buildings where the Good Friday Agreement was negotiated in 1998.
A series of discussions involving Dr Reid and other pro-Agreement parties was taking place throughout the afternoon which Government sources were saying would cover the various options open to Dr Reid.
An Alliance spokesman would not be drawn on their discussions, except to say: ‘‘We will be watching what the Secretary of State has to say with interest.’’
Another party source said the Alliance party was ‘‘open to offers but it would have to be one hell of an offer’’ to change their current policy of remaining non-aligned in the Assembly.
