McGuinness: Blair and Mandelson split over demilitarisation

‘‘The conflict between the British Prime Minister and the British Secretary of State needs to be resolved as a matter of urgency,’’ said Mr McGuinness, Education Minister in the power-sharing Stormont administration.

Renewing his call for a reduction in border bases and army presence, he said: ‘‘I believe the best defenders of the Good Friday Agreement in the South Armagh area are the people, the nationalists and republicans of South Armagh.

‘‘These people are more effective than having millions of soldiers on the streets.

‘‘The British Prime Minister accepts my arguments, the US government and the Irish government accept my arguments.

‘‘Peter Mandelson told me he does not accept my arguments and that is where the difficulty lies, because he believes the British army and the presence of thousands of soldiers and helicopter flights and spy posts are the best way to defend the Good Friday Agreement.’’

Mr McGuinness said there was need to remove the paraphernalia of war and Mr Blair needed to ‘‘effectively face down the securocrats’’ within the British establishment in London and the Northern Ireland Office.

Sinn Fein is due to resume dialogue with the Government in a bid to break the impasse over IRA decommissioning, demilitarisation and policing which is threatening the peace process.

Mr McGuinness said Sinn Fein was ‘‘not running away’’ from the decommissioning issue and wanted to discuss how to put in place a process whereby arms can be put beyond use.

‘‘If this is of concern to the unionists as they tell us it is, then we want to sort that out with the unionists, we want to work with them and the British government and everyone else to ensure we have the fullest implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.’’

Mr McGuinness said he was ‘‘very hopeful’’ there would be serious negotiation towards the end of the week or early next.

Sinn Fein would express ‘‘wide-ranging’’ concerns about Government plans for police reform which, he said, did not match up to the Patten Report proposals.

There was little chance of either his party or the SDLP nominating members to the new Policing Board which will oversee the new police service until the concerns were met.

‘‘I think it has become very, very clear to everybody that there is little likelihood of the SDLP or ourselves doing that until such time as we get all of this right.’’

There was a ‘‘dire need’’ for amending legislation to alter the Policing Act to ensure that there is the full, new beginning that everybody was promised in the Good Friday Agreement, said the Mid Ulster MP.

Meanwhile, the nationalist SDLP were meeting today with the Northern Ireland Security Minister Adam Ingram to discuss the policing issue.

The party is also due to discuss policing reforms with the RUC Chief Constable Sir Ronnie Flanagan tomorrow.

Ahead of the discussions, a senior party member said there was still time to get the policing reforms right.

North Belfast MLA Alban Maginness said more progress could be achieved in securing nationalist support for police reforms.

Mr Maginness said: ‘‘The series of discussions initiated by the SDLP reflects how central the policing issue is and how critical is the need to get policing right.

‘‘Progress was made in the Police Bill and further progress can realise the new beginning for policing that we all seek. The (British and Irish) governments and the police know the outstanding issues and with will and imagination they can be resolved.’’

The SDLP’s talks with Mr Ingram come amid renewed pressure on them to break ranks with Sinn Fein and nominate members to the Police Board which will hold the new Police Service of Northern Ireland accountable.

The party has so far refused to nominate members to the Police Board despite appeals from Mr Mandelson who yesterday warned them their failure to support the new police service could ‘‘torpedo’’ the peace process.