Sinn Féin's Mr Martin McGuinness and Ms Bairbre de Brún must be expelled from the Executive if the IRA does not empty its arms dumps by the end of June, the Ulster Unionist Party's Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MP said this evening.
|
|
Mr Jeffrey Donaldson MP
|
He also warned party colleague Mr David Trimble he expected him to resign as First Minister in July if the IRA did not disarm.
Mr Trimble was warned by Mr Donaldson the Ulster Unionist Party could not afford for him to renege on his pledge to stand down as First Minister on July 1st if there is no disarmament.
Within hours of the IRA's statement confirming it had met Gen John de Chastelain's decommissioning body four times, leading Belfast Agreement critic Mr Donaldson lambasted the paramilitary group for failing to put its weapons beyond use.
"Once again we have reports of meetings but no reports of actual decommissioning," Mr Donaldson said. "We have had three years of statements, talks and meetings but absolutely no product in terms of bullets, guns or semtex.
"That is what will prove that their so-called war is over. It is up to the IRA to move and deliver on disarmament because let's be clear about it - if there is no decommissioning by the June deadline they should be excluded from the Executive."
Mr Donaldson said if Mr McGuinness, the North's Education Minister, and Health Minister Ms de Brún were expelled the only thing that would guarantee them a return to the cabinet table would be decommissioning.
PA