Northern Ireland's politicians today formally begin their campaigns for election to the House of Commons by handing in nomination papers for the 18 constituencies.
As unionists and nationalists finalised plans for their constituency campaigns the spotlight fell on the key constituency of Fermanagh/South Tyrone following a plea from the Democratic Unionists for an IRA bomb survivor to challenge for the seat.
Enniskillen Bomb survivor Mr Jim Dixon, who withdrew from the contest earlier this week alleging dirty tricks from fellow Unionists, was urged by the DUP's Mr Peter Robinson to re-enter the contest for the seat.
Mr Dixon was standing as an anti-Good Friday Agreement candidate. His withdrawal meant that only one unionist candidate currently remains in the field - Ulster Unionist vice chairman Mr James Cooper who is defending a 13,688 majority over Sinn Fein in the 1997 General Election.
Mr Cooper last night angrily attacked Democratic Unionists for exerting pressure on Mr Dixon to re-enter the campaign. "The circumstances of Jim's withdrawal are tragic enough without him now being pressed to give in to the frenzied blandishments of Peter Robinson whose party is demonstrably refusing to run its own candidate,'' he claimed.
The DUP are today waiting for Mr Dixon to indicate whether he will run for the seat.
If Mr Dixon did not go forward, the party may field Northern Ireland minister Mr Maurice Morrow in a bid to capture the constituency's anti-Agreement vote.
Several senior DUP members will also today hand in their nomination papers for Westminster including the party's three MPs, the Reverend Ian Paisley, Mr Peter Robinson and the Reverend William McCrea.
Ulster Unionist leader Mr David Trimble and South Belfast MP, the Reverend Martin Smyth, who challenged him for the UUP leadership in March 2000, will also submit nomination papers.
Mr Trimble was urged by the DUP to resign as First Minister immediately following changes to legislation in the Irish Republic governing decommissioning.
The Minister for Justice Mr O'Donoghue yesterday extended the amnesty for decommissioning from next Tuesday to February 2002 when UK legislation on the disarmament process will also be reviewed.
However, despite DUP claims that this move proved that the British and Irish Governments did not believe that there would have to be moves on IRA decommissioning by June 30th, Ulster Unionist MP Mr Jeffery Donaldson today claimed that as far as his party was concerned the deadline for progress on IRA weapons remained next month.
"Whatever the Irish Government has done, it does not alter the fact that there is a deadline of June for decommissioning. The IRA have had enough time to deliver. It is time now for them to honour their obligation and to get decommissioning." PA