SDLP leader calls for a fourth strand on decommissioning

MR John Hume, formally launching the SDLP's election campaign, has supported calls for a fourth strand of talks to deal with decommissioning. The issued should be tackled parallel to all party talks, he said yesterday.

Mr Hume said the British, Prime Minister's recent article in The Irish Times made it clear that decommissioning would not be a block to meaningful negotiations.

The SDLP leader again urged a restoration of the IRA ceasefire. "The talks should take place in a totally peaceful atmosphere and we hope there will be a restoration of the ceasefire before the talks."

The best way to deal with the" arms issue was parallel to all party talks. The SDLP would be "quite happy" if Senator George Mitchell was to chair a fourth strand body dealing with disarmament.

Mr Hume disputed some unionist assertions that the British Irish Framework Document was "dead". The SDLP believed parties should be allowed to place on the agenda any issue that related to the three sets of relationships on these islands.

Mr Hume repeated that while the SDLP would participate in the Forum, his party would oppose any attempts to use the elected body as a substitute for the negotiations or a block to talks. "There is no way that we would engage in anything that would seek to replace all party negotiations," said Mr Hume.

"We want the talks to proceed as swiftly as possible and we hope that they reach their objective as swiftly as possible. The objective is lasting agreement and included in that lasting agreement, we would assume, would be the resolution of the disarmament situation."

Mr Hume said the central issue of the election was to establish an all party talks process leading to an agreement "which will have the allegiance of all sections of our people."

He added "All stable countries in the world, particularly countries with divided or diverse communities, are stable because their system of government is based on agreement and has the allegiance of all sections of their community."

The current political dynamic required new thinking on all sides.

"It will not be easy but, given that the opportunity now exists to end the killing on our streets forever and take the gun and bomb out of our politics, it is a challenge to which we must devote all our energies."

He said a vital part of the SDLP's manifesto was its conviction that all parties should work together on tackling social and economic problems.