Blair 'pandering to rejectionist unionists' - SF

British prime minister Mr Tony Blair may be intent on breaking his government's peace process commitments, a senior Sinn Féin…

British prime minister Mr Tony Blair may be intent on breaking his government's peace process commitments, a senior Sinn Féin figure claimed today.

As his party prepared to meet in Belfast a commission set up to monitor paramilitary activity and the Belfast Agreement, Sinn Féin chairman Mr Mitchel McLaughlin accused the Mr Blair of pandering to rejectionist unionists with his latest ultimatum to republicans.

He criticised Mr Blair for warning republicans yesterday they could not return to a functioning power-sharing executive while the IRA remained active.

While acknowledging Sinn Féin was committed to making the peace process work and had come a long way, Mr Blair argued: "We can't have a situation where people are expected to sit in government with political parties attached to active paramilitary organisations.

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"That is precisely the reason why we have not had a functioning devolved government in Northern Ireland because we have not been satisfied about that."

During a visit to Waterford, Mr McLaughlin said Mr Blair's comments had confirmed his party's fears that the British government was "intent on breaking its commitments".

"The reality is that on October 21st last year the British government was party to an agreed sequence of events that would have seen a functioning executive quickly established," he said.

"Sinn Féin, the British and Irish Governments and the Ulster Unionists had, after negotiations, agreed and exchanged in advance what were to be our respective public positions.  Only Sinn Féin and the IRA upheld their parts of the agreed sequence. The positions agreed by others were then put on hold by the decision of Mr Trimble.

"The UUP walked away from that agreement. Because of that the British are now asking more of republicans. This is blatant bad faith.

Sinn Féin was meeting today with a new commission set up to monitor paramilitary activity.

A party spokesman said it would use the meeting with the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) to explain its opposition to the body, which he claimed was set up outside the terms of the Belfast Agreement.

Sinn Féin has claimed that the commission, which was formally constituted earlier this month, will be used to exclude republicans and others from democratic politics.

PA