Robinson: livid with Government

Unionist Walk-Out Over Decommissioning

The Democratic Unionist Party and the UK Unionist Party walked out, saying that information had been withheld from them. DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson said: "It appears if you can shoot and bomb and ring the Government from a Sinn Fein advice centre, the Government will jump through hoops. But if you are one of the elected democratic parties at the talks you cannot get the clarification you need."

Trimble: "some progress"

The Ulster Unionists said they had not walked out, but had withdrawn from the session. Leader David Trimble said there had been some progress but the Government had not made clear what parallel decommissioning meant. He said he wanted an urgent meeting with the Prime Minister.

The UUP has previously been adamant that the IRA begins actual decommissioning with a "substantial tranche" of guns, commercial explosives and bombs before it could be admitted to substantive negotiations. Today, the party put forward a motion proposing that "substantive disarmament will begin from the commencement and throughout the duration of substantive discussions in the three strands and shall be complete within the eight-month time scale dictated by the Government".

Under the talks timetable, the parties must reach agreement on decommissioning by July 23, when a vote will be taken. This is supposed to pave the way for full negotiations in the Autumn.