THERE was considerable criticism from participants in the Stormont talks of the decision not to distribute the Anglo-Irish document on decommissioning at yesterday's plenary session. However, the Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, denied the document was held back in order to make amendments.
The UK Unionist Party leader. Mr Robert McCartney, told reporters: "The British government indicated at 1.30 today that they would be making available their proposals in the form of a document to the members of the negotiations. By two o'clock they had decided that no document would be handed over and we would have to wait until tomorrow when it was announced in the Commons.
"Despite the fact that they had handed copies of these documents to the three chairmen, they took those documents back without them being read.
"It is my belief that the reason they were recovered and were not handed out was because those documents may be altered pending negotiations with Mr Trimble and the SDLP in an effort to get consensus.
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley said: "The British government and the Irish Government withdrew the paper and wouldn't table it today. They're going to hand it out tomorrow, not at a meeting but just in the pigeon-holes, and evidently there may be some changes in the present paper.
"But I think all the media is quite aware what's in the paper, and it's quite evident that this is a U-turn on behalf of both governments who are on record as saying there would have to be the handing-in of arms before they [the republican movement] could get into talks and then, if they were in talks, caches of arms would have to be handed in at regular periods. Now that has been lifted completely and the door is open, if there is a ceasefire, for the IRA to get in."
The Northern Ireland Secretary, Dr Mowlam denied the document was withdrawn to make changes. "No, there's no question of amendment," she said.
"In the next week we'll meet again in a plenary to see where we can go from here, because as Tony Blair has kept saying we want to get movement on this issue so that we can get to substantive talks in September," she said.
The chief whip of the Alliance Party, Mr Sean Neeson, said the paper should have been given out: "I think it was disgraceful the way in which the participants were treated. Quite clearly the documents were ready and were ready for distribution... It was absolutely contemptible.
The Alliance leader, Lord Alderdice, said it was "a bit disappointing" the paper had not been distributed. "I think the management of the presentation leaves a great deal to be desired," he said.
Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien of the UKUP said there had been a "kind of revolt of the masses" among the delegations when an attempt to establish a business committee to set the timetable and the agenda was turned down. "They all voted for that except the SDLP and then the Irish Government provided the SDLP with a covering veto while the British government abstained. Well, as a kind of consultation with the people of Northern Ireland, that is not terribly impressive."
But Ms Brid Rogers of the SDLP said that if Dr O'Brien were a more regular visitor to the talks, "he might then be in a position to criticise others".
The deputy leader of the SDLP. Mr Seamus Mallon, said he had long asked and sought for the two governments to take the initiative on decommissioning: "It would seem that they are about to do that. I hope so, but I am not in a position to say until I see the document in total."
It was "D-Day for the whole political process", according to Mr Mall on. "Unless we get this road-block of decommissioning removed, then I believe the political process is not going to go anywhere."
Commenting on media reports of the paper's contents, the DUP leader, Dr Paisley, said: "This is a surrender document to the claims and the demands of armed gangsters that are destroying our province, incurring mayhem and murder around our streets, and it's an absolute disgrace."
Dr Paisley added that, when Sinn Fein came in through the door, the DUP would be out.