McGuinness's aide backs bishop's appeal for the removal of weaponry

Sinn Fein would agree "absolutely" with a plea by the Bishop of Derry, Dr Seamus Hegarty, for the removal of weaponry in Northern Ireland, according to a spokesman for the party's MP in the area, Mr Martin McGuinness.

Speaking at a confirmation service in the Columban Long Tower Church in Derry on Saturday, Dr Hegarty said: "We are all aware that at this time we stand on the brink of a new future, either a future of hope with peace or a future of returning to civil and economic disaster in our country."

Dr Hegarty said he was not going to take political sides but it was his total Christian belief that "all of us must do all in our power to avoid the risk of returning to reliving the nightmare of the past 30 years".

Again and again, he said, people had asked him to do something to remove the problem of guns and arms on all sides of our society.

"I have deliberately not used the word `decommissioning' because of its unhelpful and counterproductive political connotations."

He asked: "What message does the Holy Spirit, who is so much present with us today, wish to send out to the parents of the beautiful children whom I have just confirmed and to all members of the wider society in which these children live?

"What other message than that the barriers which have grown up between sections of our community, the issue of arms, and the weaponry of war on all sides must be removed for good?

"It is the leaderships of the parties which are at the acute points of disagreement which alone can resolve the problem. It is their call."

He added: "We have reached an impasse. I blame no one. Apportioning blame is not helpful. What I am asking for in God's name and with His authority is for the people with influence to make a courageous decision to resolve our present difficulty."

Mr McGuinness is in the United States at present. But his spokesman, Mr Dominic Doherty, said yesterday Sinn Fein has "always encouraged people to make courageous moves" and that the best way to satisfy Dr Hegarty's call was to build "the necessary political structures".

He said Sinn Fein agreed with Dr Hegarty in that it too wants "all weapons removed" from Northern Ireland. He also agreed with the bishop's choice not to use the word "decommissioning".

"It [decommissioning] has become a political flag, directed at just one section of the community. The issue of arms is one that we must all face, and should be discussing, together," he said.