Trimble has `constructive' meeting with Mac Connaith

The North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, and the head of the Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition, Mr Breandan Mac Connaith met for the first time last night in what was described as a constructive and useful encounter aimed at breaking the Drumcree standoff.

Mr Trimble and Mr Mac Cionnaith joined 13 other elected representatives from the Portadown area to search for a formula that would prevent another summer of disturbances centred on the Drumcree deadlock.

Following more than three hours of discussions at Craigavon Civic Centre the politicians agreed to meet again next week. "We have had a constructive discussion and we have tried to deal with the complexity of the issues," said Mr Trimble.

Mr Mac Cionnaith said the meeting was "very positive and constructive" and he looked forward to next week's meeting. "There was a genuine exchange of views by everyone in the room. It was very frank, it was constructive, it was positive. It was very disciplined, there was no animosity shown between any of the parties, and that in itself was a sign of maturity."

The politicians issued a statement after the meeting condemning recent attacks on Catholic and Protestant homes in Portadown.

The meeting was boycotted by the DUP and the Independent Unionist Assembly member, Mr Denis Watson, who is Co Armagh Grand Master of the Orange Order. The meeting in Craigavon involved Mr Trimble, seven of his party colleagues, some of them in the Orange Order, Mr Mac Cionnaith, an independent councillor for Garvaghy Road, and politicians from the SDLP, Sinn Fein and Alliance.

Politicians attending the meeting were greeted by about 30 loyalist demonstrators, which later swelled to more than 100. They chanted "traitor", "Lundy", "Sinn Fein lover" and "no deal" as Mr Trimble arrived.

When Mr Mac Cionnaith arrived they shouted "scum" and "where's Rosemary now?", a reference to the murdered Lurgan solicitor Ms Rosemary Nelson, who was also solicitor for the Garvaghy residents.

Mr Watson and the DUP Mayor of Craigavon, Mr Mervyn Carrick, refused to attend because, they said, they would not engage with the Garvaghy group because they believed they were working to a republican agenda.

Sir Reg Empey, a senior UUP Assembly member, in a statement accused the DUP and Mr Watson of hypocrisy. These same men sit with Sinn Fein in the Assembly, and their consciences don't prevent them from accepting £60,000 for doing so. The DUP has travelled to South Africa, Brussels and Boston with Sinn Fein. "No problem," said Sir Reg.

"The real reason for their attitude is the fear that maybe this dispute can be solved. What are they going to do then?" he asked. "These politicians and others like them are using the Portadown Orangemen as cannon fodder in order to further their own political ends and it doesn't matter if the crisis lasts for 3,000 days as long as there are political pickings to be made. Shame," he added.