DUP demand for more time angers governments and SF

DUP meeting:The DUP meeting on Saturday demanded more time before sharing power with Sinn Féin, to the anger of nationalists, the UUP and the Irish Government.

However, DUP insiders said a few more weeks would underpin the stability of any powersharing arrangement by providing unionist assurance and enhancing the unity of the party.

The DUP executive passed by 102 votes to 10 a resolution which expressed the desire to "support and participate fully in a Northern Ireland executive if powers were devolved to it on an agreed date in May of this year".

Aware that this represents a breach of the governments' March 26th deadline, the resolution added: "Moreover, we are willing to bridge the short gap between now and then with preparatory work including departmental pre-briefings and finalising a programme for government."

Delegates told The Irish Times that the May deadline was central to preserving DUP and unionist unity. One source said that the 10 voters who opposed the resolution did not include well-known figures. It was now expected that the Rev Ian Paisley would meet Sinn Féin as part of this preparatory phase.

The Irish Times was also told Dr Paisley's last meeting with British prime minister Tony Blair in Downing Street was a difficult one, not least because the prime minister was repeatedly interrupted by the crisis over British servicemen in the Arabian Gulf.

Last night Taoiseach Bertie Ahern expressed his doubts about a six-week delay.

Before his meeting last night in Berlin with Mr Blair, he said: "This is not something we can live with, it is not satisfactory to us, but as of now if we don't get the institutions set up the institutions collapse - that is the position in the absence of some other innovative thinking."

Northern Secretary Peter Hain concurred. He maintained his line, consistent since the St Andrews Agreement last October.

"Success [ today] would be devolution, failure would be dissolution . . . If there is another way, if the parties have got their own way, then they need to jointly agree it and come back to me pretty quickly, because otherwise the law kicks in and there's nothing I can do about it."

The nationalist parties also voiced their concern. Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams spoke of what he called "the failure of leadership by the DUP and their efforts to frustrate the will of the people". He added: "Two weeks ago the people voted overwhelmingly for agreement and for the restoration of the political institutions. All of the other parties are ready for government. There are no outstanding issues.

"The DUP seeks to frustrate the will of the electorate. It cannot be allowed to block or delay progress."

Mr Adams called on the governments to proceed with their "Plan B" if dissolution happened at Stormont today.

As expectation grew of new British legislation to enable the putting back of devolution until May in keeping with the DUP demand, SDLP leader Mark Durkan warned of the dangers of further delay. "There is a real danger that any new legislation will leave us in a twilight zone where no doubt Sinn Féin will look for more concessions in return for the legislation and the DUP will use those concessions as a further excuse for avoiding sharing power," he said.

Ulster Unionist leader Sir Reg Empey said: "Either there is devolution or there is not. No flexibility exists."