The DUP has begun its campaign against the Northern Ireland Agreement, saying the deal will destroy the Union. The Rev Ian Paisley claimed thousands of ordinary unionists who were not DUP members had contacted the party to say they agreed with its stance and strongly opposed the settlement.
Speaking at a press conference in Belfast yesterday, Dr Paisley said: "The deal put together by David Trimble, Gerry Adams and the rest of the participants is worse than the Anglo-Irish Agreement, more treacherous than the Framework Document and poses far greater dangers to the Union than the Sunningdale Agreement ever did.
"Under the deal, the Union would be fundamentally weakened. It is nothing short of deception and lies to portray this deal as strengthening the Union. Unionists know that any deal so enthusiastically endorsed by the Dublin Government and the SDLP is something which represents a dilution and diminution of the Union."
The DUP yesterday took out newspaper advertisements against the "Trimble-Adams Agreement". It announced details of a series of anti-agreement rallies, the first of which will be held in Larne, Co Antrim, on Tuesday night. The party will publish a "plain man's guide" to the document, which it described as very complicated.
Dr Paisley objected to the agreement because it guaranteed Sinn Fein a place in the government of Northern Ireland before the IRA had handed over any weapons. Also, the nationalist parties would have the power of veto over key decisions in any new Assembly.
"The reaction of ordinary unionists is one of outrage and amazement that any unionist leader could set his hand to such a deal which so fundamentally weakens the Union," he said.
The DUP leader predicted the agreement would be rejected in the referendum. He also demanded an assurance from the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, that he would accept a No result. "I want an undertaking from the government that if they lose the referendum they are prepared to go forward with an alternative. I do not want to spell out any details of the alternative yet because there is a lot of talks that even it it's a No vote, the government might try to impose something along the same lines."
Dr Paisley announced that a DUP member of the Northern Ireland Forum, Mr StClair McAlister, had been appointed to head the party's No campaign.
Mr McAlister said: "We have the might of the British government and world leaders all ranged against us but we are not fazed by that. If people go blind into this and vote Yes it will be a very slippery slope and the beginning of the end of the Northern Ireland we know and love."
SDLP talks negotiator Mr Alex Attwood said the DUP prediction that the settlement would be rejected was totally wrong.
"There is more to agree with than to disagree with in this agreement and on this basis there will be a strong majority in both communities and on the island supporting it," he said.