SDLP was not marginalised, Ahern tells Dail

The Taoiseach told the Dáil today he does not accept that the SDLP was marginalised during pre-election talks between the Irish and British Governments and the main Northern Ireland political parties.

Responding to questioning from the Labour Party leader, Mr Pat Rabbitte, Mr Ahern said "too much was made of that" and pointed to a series of meetings held exclusively between the SDLP and the Irish and British Governments.

Mr Ahern said he had asked that the SDLP be invited to the one meeting the party did not attend. He said this meeting, which included the Ulster Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, was about decommissioning that the SDLP did not have a part in.

However, according to Mr Rabbitte this exclusion allowed Sinn Féin to depict themselves as "the only champions of the Good Friday Agreement".

Mr Ahern said he intended to meet with all the northern parties and that the SDLP and Sinn Féin had already been in touch. Although an invitation has been extended, Mr Ahern said no agreement had been reached for talks with the DUP.

Asked about the review of the Belfast Agreement, Mr Ahern said such a review was provided for in the agreement and it was "coincidental" that it was to occur now. He would write to the political parties in the North today or tomorrow to seek their views, Mr Ahern said.

The review process would see all the former members of the last Executive submitting their opinions about how the agreement operated, added Mr Ahern.

This process would be broad in its scope he told the Dáil. When the results of the review were complied these would be assessed by the two governments. Pending the outcome of this process Mr Ahern said direct rule would remain in place.

He admitted the outcome of the election had made reinstating the Assembly more problematic but he stressed that people should not forget that recent opinion polls showed that the majority of citizens in northern Ireland were in favour of devolution, even if they disagreed on what form it should take.
 
Meanwhile in the House of Commons today Northern Ireland ministers were warned today that the process of devolution had reached "stalemate".

Ulster Unionist Mr David Burnside said people in northern Ireland had withdrawn their consent for the Belfast peace agreement in last week's elections.

And he insisted that if the Stormont assembly was not up and running in 12 weeks time it should be closed down altogether.

"We have stalemate and no progress in achieving devolution in Northern Ireland." This, he said, was because Sinn Fein had "not become a democratic political party", was retaining a "private army" and was being allowed a veto over devolution.

Mr Burnside, who was elected to the assembly last week, said the way ahead was a "voluntary coalition" negotiated between the UUP, the DUP, the SDLP and the Alliance Party.

"That would have cross community support and give us the benefits of devolution ...  we could have the assembly up and operating in a number of weeks. But we are being held back by the veto this Government still gives to Sinn Fein/IRA."