An inevitable breakdown of the IRA ceasefire is an "open secret" in the North, Ulster Unionist MP the Rev Martin Smyth told students in Galway last night.
Addressing a meeting of UCG's Political Discussion Society, Mr Smyth said a return to IRA violence was "only a matter of time". He said the "greatest responsibility" for a positive outcome to the present talks lay with the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume.
"Mr Hume is a man on a mission. He is a man who, it appears, sees it as his destiny to achieve peace in Northern Ireland. That is a very commendable objective, though one which we all share. He is also a man who says that dialogue is the only way to seek agreement.
"But if this is so, why will he not attend the Northern Ireland Forum for political dialogue, which was set up for this very reason? I cannot understand that one. "I also cannot understand why he does not use his time constructively by talking to those who share his desire for peace. As is widely known, Mr Hume seems obsessed with keeping Gerry Adams and his cohorts happy, to the detriment of those like himself who oppose the use of violence.
"Adams has let John Hume down once and it will happen again. Why must he wait for the inevitable? Why not decide now to reach agreement with us and let us work together to build a better future?" asked Mr Smyth.
"Before the breakdown of the first ceasefire John Hume told us that the truce was permanent. When the end came, and as the general election approached, Mr Hume announced that a vote for Sinn Fein was a vote for violence. Now that the second phoney ceasefire has arrived, he has reverted back to his former position."