US Presidential candidate Mr John Kerry needs to get real about the political process in Northern Ireland, a DUP MLA said today .
Democratic Unionist Assembly member Mr Peter Weir lambasted the Democrats' candidate for being out of touch with Northern Ireland politics after he vowed to do all he could to deliver the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement.
DUP Assembly Member Mr Peter Weir
The North Down Assembly Member said, "Once again, Senator Kerry has shown himself to be out of touch with the realities of the Northern Ireland political situation.
"During the Democratic primaries, he erroneously pointed the finger of blame for the continued suspension of devolution at the Democratic Unionist Party whenever almost everyone has accepted the fact that Northern Ireland does not enjoy self-government because Sinn Fein/IRA have failed to divest themselves of terrorism, paramilitarism and criminality.
"Now, Senator Kerry has committed himself to working for the full implementation of an agreement that has been overwhelmingly rejected by the unionist electorate.
"Unionists have told the world that the Belfast Agreement does not form the basis for a better way forward for Northern Ireland and the DUP is dedicated to drive forward unionism's demand for a new, fair agreement.
"Senator Kerry would be better off making the pursuit of a deal that everyone can endorse part of his platform rather than forlornly and rigidly dedicating himself to the old, failed Agreement."
As Democrats prepared to endorse John Kerry and Senator John Edwards as their team to fight President George W Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney in November, the party said its candidates would, if elected, do everything they could to support British and Irish Governments efforts to restore devolution in Northern Ireland.
The Kerry-Edwards campaign vowed: "We are determined to help create a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. We support efforts by the Irish and British Governments and the political parties to break the current impasse and we stand ready to assist in any way to achieve full implementation of the Belfast Agreement."
The party stopped short, however, of the criticism of President Bush's handling of the Northern Ireland peace process by Senator Kerry during the Democratic primaries earlier this year.
In a statement to Irish American groups in February, Senator Kerry accused President Bush's administration for failing to build on Mr Clinton's achievements in Northern Ireland when he was in the White House.
The Senator criticised the administration for failing to appoint a US ambassador to Ireland in over a year.
He also called on the IRA and loyalist paramilitaries to fully disarm and end all paramilitary activity and angered the Reverend Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionists by criticising them for "refusing to form a government with Sinn Fein".
SDLP deputy leader Dr Alasdair McDonnell said many senior Democrats in Boston were keen to see the political institutions in Ireland restored.
The South Belfast MLA, who with SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan was attending the convention, said senior Democrats such as Senator Joe Biden of Delaware, Congressman Richard Neal of Massachusetts and Congressman Joe Crowley of New York had told him they all wanted to see the Agreement back on track.
"The striking thing is how keen they all are to see the Good Friday Agreement up and running again and all political institutions being restored in full in order to cement the peace process fully," Dr McDonnell said.
"Mark Durkan and I have explained how much is at stake in the September talks on restoring devolution, but we have also stressed that the Good Friday Agreement cannot be left in the doldrums if Sinn Fein and the DUP fail to do business.
"I believe there will be good backing among senior Democrats for our proposals to get the Agreement moving pending a full return to an agreed Executive."
PA