The Northern Ireland Secretary today reiterated his assertion that the British government has not held talks with dissident republicans.
Owen Paterson told the Northern Ireland Committee in Westminster today that talks with groups responsible for a string of recent attacks, including a bomb in Lurgan which injured three children, were not on the table.
He also said the Parades Commission will be reappointed in January if local politicians fail to reach agreement on controversial marches,
A power vacuum forcing police to decide the route of some parades would be unacceptable, Mr Paterson said.
This July, dozens of PSNI officers were injured in pitched battles with nationalist rioters at Ardoyne in north Belfast following a contentious Loyal Order parade through the area.
This summer the Orange Order rejected draft parades legislation and refused to take part in a consultation process.
But Mr Paterson warned the clock was ticking for local politicians to make up their minds. “If they don‘t we will have to set in train actions which will reappoint a Parades Commission by January next year,” he said.
The draft Public Assemblies, Parades and Protests Bill has already been consulted on and is due to go through the Northern Ireland Assembly this autumn. It was drawn up following the report of the working group on parades set up following agreement on the devolution of policing and justice at Hillsborough.
Mr Paterson said he regretted the violence in Ardoyne which left 80 police injured in battles with suspected dissident republicans. One policewoman had a piece of masonry dropped on her head.
Mr Paterson told the committee he recognised the vital role of the security forces, but said a solution must be found which brings members of the community together at flashpoints.
“We have to recognise that there are long-term social problems in these areas. We cannot just solve this by politicians and by armed policemen, by the security forces,” he said. “There are measures we can take to pick up some of these misguided young people.”
PA