Mo Mowlam and Ray Burke: united stance

Britain and Ireland Uphold Decommissioning Proposals

"We will stand by the basis of our document," said the Northern Ireland Secretary, Mo Mowlam, when she emerged from almost three hours of talks in London at the first intergovernmental conference between the new British and Irish governments.

Ray Burke, Ireland's Foreign Affairs Minister, was even more adamant in his defence of the decommissioning document, which has infuriated the Ulster Unionist Party Leader, David Trimble.

Mr Burke said no individual would be allowed to come between the two governments over their support for the document.

"This document has been very carefully crafted. It is balanced. It meets the needs of all sides," he said. "The two governments have worked very closely together and are united totally on it."

Mr Trimble had accused London of "watering down" its stance on decommissioning following the release of a confidential four-page letter sent to Sinn Fein by the Government earlier this month.

Mr Trimble has warned that the paper does not specify that paramilitary weapons have to be handed over during the talks as the Government had previously promised. If the Ulster Unionists vote next Wednesday against the document it could spell the end of the political talks.

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"I suspect that if any loopholes are left we will see nationalists assisting the IRA to wriggle out through those loopholes," Mr Trimble told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Ms Mowlam is due to discuss the decommissioning document with Mr Trimble over the next few days in the run-up to Wednesday's vote. But she has made clear that the Government would stand by the basis of the paper.

"We've reinforced that there is a joint position between the two Governments on decommissioning which will form the basis of talks next week in Belfast," she insisted. "It is a joint document. We both think it is the best way forward. I don't know yet exactly how Mr Trimble wants to amend it."

Earlier both Ms Mowlam and Mr Burke appeared to be encouraged by a joint statement from the Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams and the SDLP leader John Hume in which they expressed the view that the peace process could be restored.

Ms Mowlam said she hoped the statement was a precursor to a ceasefire. "I think we'll have to wait and see where we go from that statement," she added.

In their joint statement, Mr Adams and Mr Hume said they were optimistic that obstacles to inclusive negotiations could be removed.

"It is our view that the peace process can be restored and that, with political will on all sides, we can move towards a new political agreement," they said.

There was a heavy onus on both the British and Irish governments, but especially Britain, "to respond positively and imaginatively both in terms of the demilitarisation of the situation, particularly in dealing with the issues of prisoners, in urgently addressing the equality agenda and in assisting the search for agreement among the people of this island," they added.

The two men expressed their regret that the opportunities of the IRA ceasefire of August 1994 were "wasted" and that meaningful negotiations were not put in place then. "Our principle concern is that this dreadful mistake is not repeated," they said.