The British government must vigorously defend the Belfast Agreement from the "serial vandalism" of unionist politicians, nationalist SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan claimed today.
The Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister told a fringe meeting - organised by his party at the Labour Party conference in Blackpool - that the British government must not dilute or diminish legislation on further police reforms in the face of Ulster Unionist threats to withdraw from the political institutions.
He told guests, including the Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid, the peace process was "in crisis".
He added: "Nationalists - and all pro-Agreement people - are deeply alarmed at the threats being made by the UUP to the institutions of the Agreement.
"(These include) The threat to freeze the North-South Ministerial Council, the threat to collapse the inclusive Executive.
The threat to withdraw from the new policing structures.
"Together, this amounts to nothing less than a threatened demolition derby of the entire Good Friday Agreement."
Mr Durkan recognised unionist concerns about republicanism in the wake of the arrests last year of three IRA suspects in Colombia, the uncertainty about the break-in in March at Castlereagh police station and the failure of Sinn Féin to condemn attacks on police recruits were genuine.
However, he criticised them for remaining "strangely silent" on "the even greater threat emanating from loyalism".
PA