Trimble says Major should consider curb on Irish travel rights to Britain

THE Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, has called for travel restrictions on Irish people going to Britain. In a fiery weekend speech, Mr Trimble also accused the Irish Government of exporting its social problems to England.

He criticised Mr John Bruton and Mr John Major's handling of the peace process, called for a more formal, authoritative role for the proposed elected forum and demanded that Dublin destroy the IRA.

Addressing the Ulster Unionist Council - the governing body of the UUP - he also targeted the SDLP and Sinn Fein, and suggested President Clinton might supply the Republic with the anti terrorist "intelligence equipment it so obviously lacks".

There was no prospect of the republican movement becoming committed to exclusively peaceful means, he told hundreds of delegates in the Europa Hotel, Belfast, on Saturday.

But instead of a resolute defence of the community, people were confronted with the "pathetic and degrading sight of democratically elected politicians pleading with terrorists," he complained.

"What would have happened if John Bruton and John Major had been in charge of the investigation into Fred West? You can just imagine it. There they would have been, on the doorstep of number 25 Cromwell Street saying: `Mr West, if you could just see your way to stop all this killing. And maybe, if you could, we could make a deal to satisfy your needs in other ways'.

"And then imagine if Fred turned round and said: `OK, maybe I will not kill anybody for the time being, until I see what you will do for me'. And before you know it, the two Johns would be inviting Fred West down to the station for a celebration, together with all the fellow travellers of the so called Anglo Irish process."

He then focused on the Taoiseach. "Do you remember the desperation with which John Bruton pleaded (with the IRA)? He said: `Please, please, please, give us back our peace'. To hear him you would think he was the leader of a beleaguered minority, up against the might of a modern state; rather than the other way around, as it should be.

"Mr Bruton, if you seriously want peace, as you say you do there is one simple way of getting it. Close down the IRA. Do not tell us you cannot. Your predecessors did exactly that three times,

"And Mr Major, if you seriously want peace and Mr Bruton seems a wee bit uncertain, then you have a fairly simple way of encouraging him to your way of thinking. End the common travel area.

"Control the land and sea frontier. Once the Dublin government realises that it can no longer export bombs along with its social problems to England, it will become as helpful as a Tory backbencher in search of a knighthood.

Mr Trimble suggested that President Clinton should aid Dublin in a similar manner to his granting of $100 million to Israel to combat terrorism. "Why don't you consider supplying the Irish. Republic with the intelligence equipment it so obviously lacks?

"And if from your resources you can supply Dublin with the odd backbone, it would help."

Suggesting a powerful role for the new forum, he said: "We want an assembly where there is accountability to all the people of Northern Ireland and all of our people can, if they wish, participate meaningfully."

This was Sinn Fein's last chance, he said. "We will insist that there be a total and absolute commitment to the (Mitchell) Report, including its proposals for decommissioning. Making that commitment must be the very first think to be done on June 10th. As John Alderdice has said, if the commitment is not given on day one, there will not be a day two.

"Like me, you may think such a commitment unlikely. But any party failing to make that commitment, or later, failing to act in accordance with it, will exclude themselves. If that happens, talks must proceed without them."

Mr Trimble said the SDLP's response to the proposed forum was disappointing. "They served in the Constitutional Convention, they serve in the Dublin Forum, yet they are threatening to boycott the new forum," he said.

"Sooner or later the SDLP, like others, will have to come to terms with the fact that it is for the people of Northern Ireland to determine to which state they belong," Mr Trimble added.