McGuinness: Suspending Stormont will end agreement
Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness said today he is working "flat-out" to get the IRA to give up weapons.
But the Mid Ulster MP warned that suspension of the power-sharing regime at Stormont would mark the end of the Good Friday Agreement.
He would not say if a move on arms could happen in time to prevent a suspension - which would accompany a unionist walk-out from devolution, due to begin on Wednesday.
"I want to see arms put beyond use. I want to see it this afternoon, tomorrow morning. I’m working flat-out to try and achieve that,’’ Mr McGuinness said.
"The key to it is to get all the participants to take up their responsibilities to act in a collective fashion, in good faith and constructively as that section of the Good Friday Agreement implored us to."
The week ahead saw all sides facing a "very serious" situation, Mr McGuinness said, adding: "We still have the outstanding threat of walk-out by (Ulster Unionist leader) David Trimble and his ministers within Executive. I think that would be a serious mistake."
