The Rev William Bingham, who has been negotiating with the British government on behalf of the Orange Order, arrived at Drumcree parish church last night for a meeting which was also attended by UUP MP Mr Jeffrey Donaldson and district officers of the Orange Order.
Mr Bingham would not comment on the progress of negotiations to resolve the crisis, but said he hoped the protest would remain peaceful and dignified.
Orangemen remained at Drumcree throughout the day yesterday, with numbers fluctuating between about 200 and 600. In the evening, hundreds more people joined the protest, bringing the total to over 1,000. They carried bags full of sandwiches and soft drinks. The atmosphere throughout the day remained relaxed.
Mr Donaldson said it was "a disgrace to see people denied their civil rights because people in our society threaten and use violence".
As an Orangeman himself he was there to support his brethren and their right to walk on "the Queen's highway". Another UUP MP who visited the scene, Mr William Ross, said he was at Drumcree partly as preparation for a report he intends presenting to his parliamentary colleagues at Westminster today. He would tell them of the quiet determination of the Orangement here, he said.
He thought the barrier erected by the British army "a pretty damnable instrument", but noted it had a (sealed) gate, which he said was "hope for the future".
"If people don't have the right to parade peacefully there is something seriously wrong . . . it would be all over and done with in 20 minutes," he said.
The Orange Order was not responsible for the violence which had followed the standoff elsewhere in the North, he said.
The rector of Drumcree, the Rev John Pickering, his wife Olive and their daughter Sarah, also visited the scene.
