London moves to keep loyalists on board fragile peace process

The British government has agreed a stronger consultation role for participants in the Stormont talks to try to avoid crises over confidence-building measures. The move comes amid great uncertainty over whether the loyalist parties will attend the resumption of the talks on Monday.

The government wants to persuade the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) and the Ulster Democratic Party (UDP), both of which are threatening to boycott Monday's talks, to remain in the process.

The British initiative was prompted by continuing complaints from the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) and the loyalist parties that the Irish Government's decision to release IRA prisoners before Christmas without first notifying the talks parties was a major factor in precipitating the current political crisis.

Mr Billy Hutchinson of the PUP, who opposes the party returning to the talks, has already warned that the British government has until the end of the week to prove that the process is not loaded in favour of republicans.

The UDP, which failed in an attempt at the Maze prison yesterday to persuade loyalist prisoners to maintain support for the process, is now due to meet the UDA leadership to hear its views. A gloomy Mr John White, prisons spokesman for the UDP, said the party wanted to remain in the talks but there was no point in being at Stormont if the party did not have the support of the UDA.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Andrews, is to meet Mr David Ervine of the PUP at Hillsborough today to try to heal the loyalist rift with the Government in Dublin. Tonight the PUP executive is due to decide whether it will attend the talks on Monday.

In an attempt to assuage loyalist concerns the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, after meeting the UUP leader Mr David Trimble at Stormont yesterday, promised that the talks confidence-building liaison committee would be briefed on impending relevant decisions by the two governments.

She would give no guarantees about early loyalist prisoner releases, however, but indicated that if the talks made real progress over the next two or three weeks there could be movement.

The North's political development minister, Mr Paul Murphy, said he did not know whether the two loyalist parties would attend Monday's talks. "I am certainly hopeful that all sides will be present on Monday. I don't see any alternative [to the talks]."

An Irish Government spokesman said he foresaw no particular difficulty in providing a ministerial presence at meetings of the confidence-building committee. He said the Government did not notify the talks participants of the specific date of the IRA prisoner releases for "security and operational reasons", but as late as the end of November the confidence committee was told of the Government's commitment to future releases.

At the same time the Government told the confidence committee it also favoured the British government granting early releases to loyalist prisoners.

Mr Trimble appeared reasonably pleased with the decision regarding the confidence measures.

"There are some encouraging signs in that it's now been agreed that the Secretary of State will ensure that there is appropriate ministerial representation at the confidence-building liaison committee. And that in future things that come under the heading of so-called confidence-building measures will come before that committee," he added.

The UUP leader said political difficulties were not caused, but were exacerbated, by the present violence. The political difficulties were caused because hitherto the peace process had been operated for the purpose of "appeasing Sinn Fein", he said.

"I hope that we will now see a more sensible and better balanced approach to the talks."

Responding to some media speculation he said he had not sought early releases or other concessions for loyalist prisoners during his meeting with Mr Tony Blair on Monday.

Asked why he was not prepared to engage in direct contact with Sinn Fein but could yet meet loyalist prisoners at the Maze, Mr Trimble said the UUP met Sinn Fein "face-to-face" at the talks. The party, however, was not prepared to engage in private meetings with Sinn Fein.

The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, who led a party delegation in talks with Dr Mowlam yesterday, claimed a UUP refusal to engage properly in the talks had created the political vacuum "which has been filled by the killing of Catholics".

"Many people will think it rather strange that David Trimble can't bring himself to talk to the elected representatives of Sinn Fein, but yet can talk to others.

"The Orange card is being played, and there is an attempt to assert a unionist veto. Both governments, especially the British government, must ensure that there are no vetoes," he added.

He said it was up to the two governments to drive the talks process.

"We put it to the British Secretary of State that not only do the two governments have to grab this process by the scruff of the neck but they also have to introduce the equality agenda which is required outside the talks."