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U.S. calls on N.Irish unionists to share power

30 Jan 2007 14:26:42 GMT
Source: Reuters

DUBLIN, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The United States urged Northern Ireland's pro-British unionists on Tuesday to commit to sharing power with Irish nationalists whom he praised for an "historic" decision to back the province's police force.

The call came ahead of a meeting between British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern to discuss progress towards their March 26 deadline for restoring a regional assembly in which Protestant unionists and their mostly Catholic nationalist foes will share power.

The Belfast-based assembly was central to a 1998 peace deal that largely ended 30 years of conflict in which 3,600 people were killed but has been suspended since 2002 despite repeated efforts by London and Dublin to end the political stalemate.

Mitchell Reiss, United States special envoy to Northern Ireland, said those who want to retain the British-ruled province's ties to the United Kingdom should now commit to plans drawn up in the Scottish town of St. Andrews last October.

"Now is the time for the unionist community to signal its renewed support for (the) St. Andrews Agreement by clearly indicating that it stands ready to fulfil the St. Andrews commitments for power-sharing," Reiss said.

He also praised nationalist party Sinn Fein, which wants an end to British rule in Northern Ireland, for Sunday's vote to end decades of opposition to a law and order system it has long seen as biased in favour of the province's majority Protestants.

"Ambassador Reiss warmly welcomes the action of Sinn Fein ... and he commends the leadership of (party leader) Gerry Adams," the U.S. Consulate General said in a statement issued after Reiss met Northern Ireland's political parties.

The move by Sinn Fein, political ally of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), to back policing in Northern Ireland is seen as removing one of the last, big hurdles to reaching a political settlement before Blair's departure from office and an Irish general election which are both due later this year.

The biggest pro-British grouping, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has yet to commit to London and Dublin's March 26 deadline for restoring power-sharing, however, saying it wants to see concrete proof of Sinn Fein's support for law and order.

A spokesman for Blair said ahead of Tuesday's meeting with Ahern that a move by Sinn Fein's leadership encouraging its members to cooperate with the police was a "significant advance" in that direction but acknowledged more may be needed.

"I think (DUP leader) Dr Paisley has publicly acknowledged there has been some progress, he has also said he wants to see words translated into action," the spokesman added.

(Additional reporting by Katherine Baldwin in London)

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Last updated:Tue Jan 30 14:28:12 2007