The Rev Ian Paisley and other unionist politicians have ruled out attending the inauguration of Mrs Mary McAleese as President next week. However, there is speculation that the Ulster Unionist deputy leader, Mr John Taylor, might accept an invitation.
Mr Taylor refused to be drawn on the issue last night. He said he could not comment as he had not yet received an invitation. But his recent statements on the President-elect suggest he may not be hostile to attending the ceremony next Tuesday. During the election campaign, Mr Taylor said that, while he disagreed with Mrs McAleese's devout Catholicism and "green nationalism", he had experienced no problems working with her in the past. He rejected allegations that she was a Sinn Fein supporter. After she was elected, he said that she had been "unjustly wronged". The UUP deputy leader has never shied away from adopting independent positions.
His attendance at the presidential inauguration would be unpopular with other unionist politicians. The DUP leader, Dr Paisley, said yesterday that if he received an invitation, he would put it straight in the bin.
He said he would not even consider taking part in a ceremony which involved Mrs McAleese swearing to uphold Articles Two and Three and their "immoral, illegal and criminal claim" over Northern Ireland. He said she was definitely not a bridge-builder.
Dr Paisley's comments were to be expected but the strength of unionist feeling against the President-elect was demonstrated by the hard-line stance adopted by the UUP's security spokesman, Mr Ken Maginnis. Mr Maginnis, who attended Mrs Mary Robinson's inauguration, said he was not looking for an invitation this time. "Mary McAleese has not got that standing or status as far as unionists are concerned," he said. He claimed the President-elect had worn "her harshness, her very green nationalism" on her sleeve.
Unionists would seriously doubt her motives if she wore a poppy at the ceremony, he said. They would ask whether it was only a "skin-deep" gesture and they would want to know if she had ever worn one before.
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, also appears to have decided against attending the inauguration. He said any other decision could be misinterpreted with the Stormont talks continuing.