Adjourn the forum until political temperature cools, say Alliance

THE Alliance Party will not be attending the Northern Ireland Forum tomorrow and has called for it to be adjourned until the political climate cools. And the Women's Coalition condemned the "vicious and sectarian verbal abuse" at the forum.

Events at Drumcree and the violence across the North are expected to be discussed at the forum tomorrow but Dr John Alderdice, the Alliance leader, believed the discussion would turn into a haranguing match. "The forum is supposed to be a place for constructive dialogue but because of the whole climate of the moment we don't think it can be constructive."

The SDLP has already resigned from the forum over last week's events. Dr Alderdice said Alliance was not boycotting the forum but considered it inappropriate to have a debate at the moment when the atmosphere was so "brittle". The party has written to the forum chairman, Mr John Gorman, calling for a postponement.

Mr Ian Paisley Jnr accused Alliance of "aiding and abetting the pan nationalist front, aiding and abetting the desire to destroy the forum, the only elected basis on which the people of Northern Ireland can be properly represented Ms Bronagh Hinds, of the Women's Coalition, said they would be attending the forum although it was not a representative body. The coalition would be challenging the political culture at the forum. It would no longer put up with the "level of sectarian abuse and comments".

Earlier yesterday there was an argument between an Alliance Party forum delegate, Mr Kieran McCarthy, and the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, who was doing a television interview about Drumcree. Mr McCarthy who was passing by, said that "Mr Paisley and his friends disgraced Ulster". Dr Paisley responded with "there's Alliance with blood dripping from your hands from, Gerry Adams and handshakes.

Dr Alderdice later defended Mr McCarthy and said many people were "furiously angry about the way the Orange Order and its associates behaved last week. There is a great deal of anger and not exclusively in the Catholic community. Roads were blocked ports were closed, the airport was closed, doctors were prevented from getting to their patients and patients could not get to hospital".

But Mr Ken Maginnis, of the Ulster Unionist Party, said that both parties should attend the forum. There would be a debate about the present situation but he did not believe it would be a "bloodletting".

The SDLP should "stop playing this prima donna role by not meeting unionists at the forum. They should let their voices be heard", he said, adding that they had not been "gainsaid" last week during a constructive forum debate.

The row developed at Stormont Castle as low key bilateral meetings continued between the parties and the talks chairman Senator George Mitchell. Some of the parties also met the Minister of State for Finance, Mr Hugh Coveney. The Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, met some of the parties before leaving for London and Mr John Major's meeting with the SDLP.

The rules of procedure for the talks were said to be "9/10ths" of the way to agreement and unionist parties expressed the view that there could be an informal plenary session next week.

The Labour delegation, a coalition of left wing groups, said yesterday that Sinn Fein's mandate should be recognised and they should be included in the talks. "However, the talks must take place in an atmosphere of peace and free from threat of violence and therefore we can call upon the IRA to renew its ceasefire.