Church leaders outline the sequence of events

THE church leaders who were trying to broker a compromise deal between the Garvaghy Road Residents Association and the Orange Order on Thursday morning gave an assurance yesterday that they were unaware that the march was to go ahead.

While the Catholic Primate, Cardinal Cahal Daly, forthrightly condemned the RUC Chief Constable's decision to allow the Drumcree parade through on Thursday, there was also implied criticism of the decision from the Protestant church leaders.

Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith, of the residents association, had claimed they "were stitched up" on Thursday morning, but the leaders emphatically stated that they were acting in good faith in trying to achieve a compromise through most of Wednesday and Thursday morning.

The Church leaders - Dr Daly, Presbyterian Moderator, Rev Dr Harry Allen, Church of Ireland Primate, Archbishop Robin Eames, and Methodist President, the Rev Ken Best - said they worked from Wednesday night until 4.30 a.m. on Thursday, and then from 9 a.m. to around 11 a.m. on Thursday seeking a compromise.

The leaders met Mr David Trimble at 2.30 p.m. on Wednesday after the Ulster Unionist Party leader requested them to try and break the logjam. Later, Dr Daly travelled to Garvaghy Road to meet the residents and then reported to the other Church leaders on developments in Belfast.

They met from about 9 p.m. on Wednesday to 4.30 a.m. on Thursday. It was during that period, according to Dr Allen, that they were informed on behalf of the chief constable, Sir Hugh Annesley, that the deadline for reaching a resolution was 10.30 on Thursday morning.

Dr Allen said it was unclear whether at 10.30 a.m. extra protection would be provided for residents or whether the Orangemen would then be allowed through.

At that stage they invited representatives of the Orange Order and the Garvaghy residents to a meeting with them in Portadown for 9 a.m. on Thursday. The two sides arrived, although they did not actually meet, basing themselves in separate rooms, with the churchmen in another room.

The 10.30 a.m. deadline passed without any contact from the RUC. Archbishop Eames said he had expected that the police would contact them. "We thought they would be interested to know whether we were reaching an agreement one way or the another, because this would influence their actions.

"No contact was made, as far as I am aware, to the room in which we were working regarding any of the progress we were achieving," said Archbishop Eames.

Both the four Garvaghy representatives and the three Orange representatives left around 11 a.m. when they learned that the parade was about to be forced through Garvaghy.

Rev Best said the churchmen were certainly not involved in any ruse to distract nationalists from the RUC's plans. "Certainly we were shocked, to say the least of it, when suddenly we heard that a march was suddenly to be on the way. We did not know that was going to happen.

"I would believe that we were not in any way set up, if you like and the Garvaghy residents really should have confidence in that" said Mr Best.

Dr Allen said if they were used they were unaware of it, and if they were exploited whoever took that decision must carry that responsibility for it. "If any one of us had had any idea that that was the scenario we would not have been sitting up to 4.30 in the morning, and then meeting at nine. We would not have been in there trying to do something with groups who should have been back with their own particular communities.

"That would have been totally wrong. .. We were there in good faith. We were there totally committed to the hopeful possibility of achieving some resolution, some accommodation," said Dr Allen.

In fact, they had compiled a statement about a possible way of moving forward. But because of the parade going through they never had an opportunity to present the proposals to the two sides, said Dr Allen.

The whole operation was not a complete waste of time, as a joint church approach could be used to mediate in future, Dr Allen told BBC Radio Ulster.

Cardinal Daly, who has been very critical of the police decision in a statement, also confirmed that sequence of events. He said he felt betrayed by what happened.

"I feel that the events of these days reveal deep-seated flaws in our whole political structures here in Northern Ireland," he said.

The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, in a separate development, also disclosed what he claimed were some of what he termed as totally unacceptable compromise proposals.

Dr Paisley claimed the churchmen wanted to give assurances to Garvaghy residents that they could parade to the centre of Portadown next St Patrick's Day, and that next year's Drumcree parade would not pass down the Garvaghy Road.

"They were going to try and deliver ecumenically the Orangemen into the hands of the republican authorities," Dr Paisley claimed.

The RUC would make no comment on the four main churchmen's version of events, because any dialogue between the churchmen and the police was confidential.

Cardinal Basil Hume, leader of Catholics in England and Wales, has issued a statement supporting Cardinal Daly's dismay at events.

Cardinal Hume said: "I share the deep anxiety you expressed so well and the sadness and dismay you feel at the decision taken to allow the Orange parade through Garvaghy Road.

"Although I am not, obviously, informed of all the details of what must have obviously been a difficult decision for the authorities, the anger of the nationalist community seems wholly understandable.

"I realise the aftermath is likely to be extremely difficult and I will be appealing to the diocese here for renewed prayers for peace in Northern Ireland."