The Sinn Fein chairman, Mr Mitchel McLaughlin, has warned against a watering-down of the Patten proposals on policing in Northern Ireland, writes Monika Unsworth. He said the British government must not dilute in any way the Patten recommendations on the change of the name, symbols and structures of the RUC as demanded by unionists.
Speaking after a meeting of the Sinn Fein Assembly Party at Stormont yesterday, he said while the latest developments over the weekend were very positive, the speculation about Patten had created "considerable unease" among republicans.
