Sir, - Nationalists throughout the island are rightly angry that two movements, one unionist and one republican, are trying to frustrate political progress and the full implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.
First the unionist veto forced the suspension of the fledgling Executive and now the republican movement has vetoed progress on decommissioning by refusing to talk to General de Chastelain.
Neither David Trimble nor "P. O'Neill" has the right to stand in the way of the will of the Irish people. Through the Good Friday Agreement, the people of Ireland voted to establish new institutions North and South and determined that no group on the island of Ireland should hold illegal weapons.
Unionists and republicans must not be allowed to deny the people's voice.
Gerry Adams is wrong to say that the political process has failed. It was the political process that weaned paramilitaries from violence. It was political dialogue which produced the historic agreement. It was political means which saw the prisoners released and it was politics which created the new all-Ireland institutions.
As John Hume said in his Martin Luther King speech: "Let no one denigrate what has been achieved." He added: "We have achieved much not because we challenged others but because we challenged ourselves."
Today all our political leaders must renew their faith in the primacy of politics and democracy and with courage and resilience challenge themselves to find political solutions to our problems. This is absolutely essential because the alternative is violence, mayhem and despair. - Yours, etc.,
Tim Attwood, Andersonstown Road Belfast 11.