Ulster Unionists who forced a meeting of the party's ruling council to debate recent moves in the peace process are blackmailing the party by threatening to quit, a former Stormont minister claimed today.
As the UUP psyched itself up for a potentially bitter gathering of its 900-member ruling council in a fortnight's time, former Culture, Arts and Leisure Minister Mr Michael McGimpsey accused critics of the party leadership of letting republicans off the hook.
"Recent weeks have seen an enormous amount of pressure being applied to republicans to stand down and dump arms in a massive act of decommissioning," the south Belfast UUP councillor said.
"Through the efforts of the UUP, the weight of national and international opinion has been focused squarely on the republican movement and is demanding swift movement.
"By calling a meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council, the republican movement is being let away in the smoke. Republicans cannot believe their luck. Yet again, unionism is in danger of shooting itself in both feet."
Mr McGimpsey claimed hard-line Ulster Unionists had in recent days been responsible for "an irrational and ill-informed backlash" against the British and Irish governments' joint declaration on the implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
Members of the UUP's 900-member ruling council will debate on June 16th the document which contains proposals for the scaling down of the British army presence,further police reform, a scheme to enable fugitive IRA paramilitary suspects to return to Northern Ireland and a sanctions body for parties in default of the Agreement.
On Saturday Lagan Valley MP Jeffrey Donaldson signalled that if the council failed to reject the joint declaration he would consider his future in the party.
"I believe the issue is so important that this is now a defining moment for unionism and the Ulster Unionist Party," he declared.
If the declaration was not rejected, he said: "People like myself will have to consider our position. I could not go before the electorate on a manifesto which either fudged or endorsed the join declaration."
Mr McGimpsey said he was dismayed that some party colleagues were intent on precipitating "an unnecessary crisis" in the UUP.
"I am also deeply resentful of the attempted blackmail of the Ulster Unionist Party with threats to quit. No individual is bigger than the party," he said.
"I believe the party will reject attempts to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory on June 16th."
PA