EVERY STEP Sinn Féin took brought it closer to its "central and most urgent" goal of a 32-county republic, the North's Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness told the opening night of his party's ardfheis Dublin last night. Deaglán De Bréadún, Political Correspondent, reports.
The attendance of about 1,000 delegates at the RDS applauded when said sitting in a powersharing government with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) "has not and will not dilute my Irish republicanism one bit".
Forecasting "a political battle" in the coming weeks to secure the transfer of policing and justice powers from London to Belfast as provided for in the St Andrews Agreement, he called on the DUP to approach the issue "in a sensible way".
Although the DUP is opposed to the transfer, Mr McGuinness recalled that "during the talks which led to the first meeting of the Sinn Féin and DUP leaderships on March 26th, a senior member of the DUP delegation said his party would stand by the Andrew's Agreement".
Mr McGuinness launched a salvo against what he termed the "old guard" in the North's civil service and elsewhere who were opposed to progressive proposals" in education, agriculture and regional development (the departments where Sinn Féin has ministerial control).
"They are still there, in the system, the civil service, in sections of the media and in elected office," Mr McGuinness said. "Our task is to confront those opposed to change."
Reflecting the party's move towards the political centre in the aftermath of its mediocre showing in last year's general election south of the Border, Mr McGuinness referred to the aim of "a united, free and equal" 32-county Ireland.
"Ian Paisley knows that my allegiance is to Ireland. But, at the same time, we should acknowledge the journey which the DUP have undergone in recent years," he said, adding that people were intrigued by "DUP Nua".
Sinn Féin MEP Mary Lou McDonald challenged Minister of State for European Affairs Dick Roche to a debate on the Lisbon Treaty.
Party leader Gerry Adams makes his presidential address this evening.