Progress cannot be made in the talks unless the British and Irish governments expel the UDP when negotiations resume in London this morning, the Shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Mr Andrew Mackay, said yesterday.
His comments came amid increasing speculation over the decision facing the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, about the UDP's presence at the talks. Following the UFF's statement last week that it had broken its ceasefire, Mr Mackay repeated his demand that Dr Mowlam and the Irish Government should remove the UDP so "the men of violence do not dictate the political agenda".
"Only by taking a strong line will we be able to make progress in the talks and reach a lasting settlement in the Province."
On Saturday, the former prime minister, Mr John Major, warned London and Dublin that removing the UDP from the talks could "precipitate the collapse of the peace process". In a BBC radio interview, Mr Major said the talks were at a "very critical stage" and that the British government deserved "a little tolerance" while it decided how to deal with the question of the UDP's role. Deferring that decision would be "utterly wrong" because it would not be any easier to make in the future. However, Mr Major admitted that while the two governments consulted the parties to the talks about the UDP's future role, "it may be the right thing" for the UDP to walk away from the table.
"It's a very fine call. If the UDP are removed, there is a danger it would precipitate the collapse of the talks. It being Northern Ireland, it is equally true that if they are not removed, it could precipitate a collapse in the talks," Mr Major added.
The answer to the moral question of the UDP's involvement in the talks was that it should be "thrown out". The difficult, practical question to be answered was if the other parties believed they could reach a settlement with the UDP in the talks "because the talks could proceed and may be able to make some progress".
The Liberal Democrat spokesman for Northern Ireland, Lord Holme, agreed that adopting a cautious approach was the right way to proceed because the UFF had now "pulled back from the brink" and because the UDP had played a "constructive" role in the talks thus far. On the other hand he pointed out that the Mitchell Principles could not be flouted at will if the talks process was to have any integrity.