Trimble threatens withdrawal from NI Agreement review

The Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble warned today his party would pull out of talks on the review of the Belfast Agreement next week unless action was taken against Sinn Féin.

Speaking in the House of Commons, Mr Trimble demanded sanctions against Sinn Féin over the alleged involvement of the Provisional IRA in the abduction and beating of a dissident republican in Belfast last week.

He  accused the British government of "rank moral cowardice" over the issue and said it was "utterly unreasonable" to expect his party to remain in talks with "these people" in the circumstances.

"I have to tell the Prime Minister, that unless he can summon  up the courage to act on this matter, within the next few days, then I and my colleagues will take steps next Monday to bring this process to an end," he said.

Mr Tony Blair said he could not comment on the individual case. "If it is shown to be the mainstream IRA that has done this thing, then obviously action will have to follow," he said. "They cannot be talking about human rights one day, and beating the human rights out of people the next day."

The Provisional IRA has denied it was involved in the attack on Mr Tohill. In a brief statement, An Phoblacht said today it has been told by republican sources that "the IRA did not authorise any action against Bobby Tohill".

The PSNI Chief Constable, Mr Hugh Orde, said he believed the Provisional IRA were responsible.

However, on their way into a meeting with the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in Government Buildings in Dublin this evening, a Sinn Féin delegation led by Mr Martin McGuinness accused the Police Service of Northern Ireland of a very determined campaign to discredit Sinn Féin.

Mr McGuinness said he believed there were former RUC members within the PSNI doing their utmost "to undermine Sinn Féin's participation in the peace process".

Mr Ahern told the Dáil this morning it appeared that Mr Tohill had been abducted with the intention of taking him across the border and executing him. He said he would raise the incident during his meeting with the Sinn Féin delegation. "I am not in the lecturing mode, but I will outline that these kind of activities cannot go on with normal political activities."

Four men were arrested last Friday in Belfast after Mr Tohill (45), a well-known dissident republican and former member of the Irish National Liberation Army, was found tied  and badly beaten in the back of a van. He had been abducted from a city centre bar a short time earlier.

The four man have been charged with abduction and grievous bodily harm, but a charge of IRA membership was not proceeded with. The court heard they allegedly possessed disposable clothing, pepper spray and two metal cudgels when they were arrested.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and the Northern Ireland Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, said in Stormont yesterday that if it was proven the Provisionals had ordered the attack, it would constitute a "very serious breach" of last year's joint declaration on paramilitary activity. They said the Independent Monitoring Commission would investigate the incident.

However, they resisted pressure from the DUP, UUP and the Alliance to impose sanctions on Sinn Féin or exclude the party from the ongoing review of the Belfast Agreement.