Hopes of a breakthrough in the impasse over next month's controversial Orange parade in Portadown suffered a setback yesterday when the Grand Master of the Orange Order said that Portadown Orangemen had an absolute right to parade on the Garvaghy Road.
Mr Robert Saulters said that there had been unanimous support for the Portadown Orangemen at a meeting of the Grand Lodge of Ireland in Derry yesterday. Over 200 members, many of them from Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim and Monaghan, had also discussed recent criticisms from the leaders of the Church of Ireland and the Presbyterian Church of the order's stance on Drumcree.
"We have a civil right to walk down that road and we have to back them on that subject", Mr Saulters declared after the six-hour meeting. Asked if the order had an absolute right to parade down the Garvaghy Road on July 4th, Mr Saulters said: "Yes, we do believe in that."
He said that a number of people were working behind the scenes in an attempt to find a resolution to the impasse. "As you know, Mr Frank Blair [a mediator] is coming into the proximity talks, so I am not au fait with what is happening there. I don't know what they are aiming to talk about, so I can't answer questions on Drumcree until he has had his meetings with the Garvaghy Road residents and the Portadown District."
Referring to recent criticisms of the order by religious leaders, Mr Saulters said: "On the criticism from the Church of Ireland, we did go into it in great detail, and we will be writing to the Primate again on that one. As for the Presbyterians, we didn't touch much on theirs, because their Assembly is coming up next week. We did ask for clarification on the three pledges from the Primate, but we're not satisfied with a couple of the points, and we are going back to him again."
Mr Denis Watson, the County Grand Master of Armagh, said that the Drumcree situation would be constantly reviewed. "Situations can change on a daily basis and I am sure the Grand Master will be willing to convene another meeting of the Grand Lodge if it is necessary", he said.