SF: DUP paper on policing crazy
The Democratic Unionists were tonight accused of putting forward a crazy position paper on policing as efforts continued to break the deadlock over power-sharing.
After the second meeting of the Stormont Programme for Government Committee's sub-group on policing and justice, Sinn Féin sources claimed Ian Paisley's party proposed an unrealistic method for selecting a devolved minister in charge of policing and justice.
The DUP's position paper, which it said was rejected by Sinn Féin, the SDLP and the Ulster Unionists, proposed that the minister would not be appointed under the method used in the Assembly for other ministers.
Instead it would require a 70%-plus vote in favour of the candidate within the Assembly.
The DUP also suggested that the minister would have no vote within the power-sharing executive.
A Sinn Féin source said: "This was crazy stuff.
"What they were suggesting was effectively a unionist veto and in particular a DUP veto over who would be minister. Everybody bar them thought this was unacceptable.
"There was no mention in their document of a timeframe for the devolution of policing and justice powers when everybody and their granny knows that the only way this is going to be unlocked is for a date for policing and justice powers to be transferred."
Under Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and British Prime Minister Tony Blair's plan for achieving power-sharing next March, it is envisaged that Sinn Féin will for the first time publicly declare support for the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
The DUP wants Sinn Féin to do so before it will form a power-sharing government.
Gerry Adams has insisted, however, that Sinn Féin will need a timeframe for the transfer of policing and justice powers from Westminster to Stormont, agreement on the departmental model that will handle those powers and assurances that MI5 will have no role in civic policing before he can move to recommend that the party endorse the PSNI.
