The Northern Secretary has defended her refusal to halt early prisoner releases in response to the continuing paramilitary "punishment" attacks. Dr Mo Mowlam was speaking amid increasing pressure for the British government to take action against the Provisional IRA and loyalist paramilitary groups which are carrying out the shootings and beatings.
A poll in yesterday's Belfast Telegraph showed 83 per cent of people want the early release of paramilitary prisoners to slow down or stop if the attacks continue.
Dr Mowlam said: "I can only halt the release of prisoners if I also halt the agreement - because to do so I have to declare the ceasefires are over. This, when the overall judgment is that they are not. That's the dilemma."
However, Mr Ian Paisley jnr, of the DUP, said the Northern Secretary must respond to the public demand. "The poll shows that even nationalists are sickened by these releases while violence continues."
The UK Unionist leader, Mr Robert McCartney, said: "The government can't keep ignoring the voice of the people. Tony Blair is breaking the pledges he made to convince people to vote Yes in the referendum."
So far, more than 200 loyalist and republican prisoners have been freed under the terms of the agreement. All those sentenced for offences committed before the signing of the agreement, and members of organisations accepted to be on ceasefire now, are set to be freed by July next year.
More than 1,100 people were interviewed in the survey carried out by Market Solutions. A total of 73 per cent of Protestants wanted the releases stopped, 23 per cent wanted them slowed down, and only 5 per cent thought they should continue. A third of Catholics believed the prisoners should still be freed, 42 per cent thought the releases should be slowed down, and only 22 per cent thought they should be halted.
Sinn Fein supporters were strongly behind prisoners continuing to be released (74 per cent), well ahead of SDLP supporters (21 per cent).
The Alliance leader, Mr Sean Neeson, has suggested that Mr David Trimble and Mr Gerry Adams hold a joint meeting with the chairman of the international decommissioning body, Gen John de Chastelain.
Mr Neeson was speaking after he met Gen de Chastelain yesterday. "It is my opinion that there is a strong moral responsibility for republicans and loyalists to start the decommissioning process now in order to move the political and peace processes forward," he said.
Earlier, an Ulster Unionist delegation, headed by Mr Trimble, met Gen de Chastelain. Mr Trimble said it was a routine meeting and wouldn't comment further except to say he was "looking forward to seeing some progress on the disarmament front."
The Garvaghy Road Residents' Coalition has said that Mr Trimble has refused to meet it to discuss the ongoing situation in Portadown, Co Armagh. A spokesman for the group said: "This shows that David Trimble is acting first and foremost as an Orangeman rather than as a First Minister with responsibility to serve all sections of the people equally."