Donaldson unhappy with British RIR assurances
Anti-agreement UUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson has claimed that a British government statement yesterday did not go far enough to convince him that the British army's Royal Irish Regiment would not be disbanded.
UUP leader David Trimble said he had secured an assurance during a meeting with the British Defence Secretary that the RIR would not be scrapped as part of Britain's demilitarisation obligations under the Good Friday Agreement.
However, Mr Donaldson said no such assurance was given and vowed to press ahead with a UUP ruling council meeting next Monday.
Mr Donaldson called the meeting in an effort to get the UUP to reject the recent Irish-British declaration on implementing the Good Friday Agreement. If he succeeds, the move could destroy the 1998 peace deal.
