Mr David Trimble has gone on the offensive against the anti-Belfast Agreement wing of his party ahead of Saturday's meeting of the Ulster Unionist Council (UUC) by calling for "resounding" support for his strategy to achieve full paramilitary disarmament.
The Ulster Unionist leader has attempted to pre-empt his party's No bloc by tabling a motion for the UUC meeting to draw other pro-agreement parties, including Sinn FΘin, into agreeing a timetable for full IRA and loyalist decommissioning.
Last night he wrote to the 860 UUC members with details of his motion, which does not impose ultimatums or threaten sanctions.
"The parties need to set a fresh target date for full implementation. I think the best way to do that is to take up the idea that the SDLP made (at the Weston Park talks) that there should be a round-table meeting of the parties to settle the terms on which the decommissioning process can proceed," Mr Trimble said, and called for maximum support on Saturday.
Anti-agreement unionists who have called the UUC meeting have not yet tabled their motion. It is expected to tie the UUP to sanctions against Sinn FΘin in the absence of full IRA decommissioning by February when the remit of the decommissioning body expires.
