SF policing shift in doubt
Hopes that Sinn Féin could make a groundbreaking move on policing in the North were tonight in doubt after the party said it was still awaiting a positive response from Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists.
After a series of conversations between Gerry Adams and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, a party spokesman confirmed they were still locked in negotiations with the British government.
It also indicated that the party was not yet ready to set an exact date for its special conference to consider supporting for the first time the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).
The spokesman said: “Last Friday the Sinn Féin ard chomhairle backed the proposal by the party president Gerry Adams to call a special ard fheis on policing.
“This followed intensive negotiations over the Christmas period when considerable progress was made.
“The ard chomhairle agreed that the ard fheis would go ahead in January if others, including the two governments and the DUP, responded positively.
“To date there has been no such positive response from the DUP.
“Given the sensitivities of the situation, the Sinn Féin leadership has been in intensive discussions with the British government. Gerry Adams has spoken to Tony Blair several times over recent days, including tonight.”
The statement came just hours after Assembly member Davy Hyland announced he was quitting the party after being deselected and is considering running as an independent candidate in the forthcoming Stormont election.
Mr Hyland has criticised the party leadership’s plan to endorse the PSNI.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Mr Blair have pinned their hopes on achieving power-sharing at Stormont by March 26 on Sinn Féin being able to secure the support of its members to endorse the PSNI at the special conference this month.
The DUP has insisted Sinn Féin must sign up to supporting the PSNI, the courts and upholding the rule of law and prove on the ground over a credible testing period that that support was genuine.
Earlier this week in his new year’s message, Mr Paisley welcomed Sinn Féin’s decision to hold a special conference but reminded republicans that words of support for the police, the courts and the rule of law were not enough.
He also appeared to suggest that Sinn Féin’s failure to call a conference swiftly after the conclusion of the St Andrew’s talks in October had made it more difficult for republicans to convince unionists within the timeframe set by Dublin and London that their change of heart on policing was real.
Mr Paisley insisted his party would not be swayed by dates or deadlines but by the quality of any move on policing by republicans.
The DUP leader’s statement prompted SDLP leader Mark Durkan tonight to call on the Irish and British governments to make it plain to Mr Paisley that there would be no shifting of the March 26 deadline for re-establishing devolved government.
The Foyle MP also urged Mr Adams’ party to get involved in policing for the sake of its own voters no matter what the DUP said or did.
