Trimble offers olive branch

Ulster Unionist leader David Trimble has offered an olive branch to his party critics, urging them to think again about their revolt against his policies.

As the UUP prepared for a potentially explosive meeting this Saturday of its 900-member ruling council, the former Stormont First Minister welcomed proposals from the British and Irish Governments to set up a four member Commission to monitor the Good Friday Agreement and paramilitary ceasefires.

The Upper Bann MP also urged three colleagues - Jeffrey Donaldson, the Reverend Martin Smyth and David Burnside - who resigned the party whip at Westminster in June in a row over the Commission, to "take this opportunity to sort things out and see things in a different light".

Mr Trimble argued: "Anybody can see what was being described in June as a breach of a fundamental principle of unionism is addressed.

"The Strand One boundary line has been observed and that has been done clearly.

"Those who called Saturday's meeting now owe the rest of us a duty to reflect.

"If any of those concerned want to have a chat with me about how we can deal with the situation they are welcome."

Ulster Unionists will gather this Saturday in Belfast's Ulster Hall to debate attempts by Mr Trimble's supporters to discipline the three rebel MPs.

Jeffrey Donaldson, the Reverend Martin Smyth and David Burnside resigned the party whip in June in protest at their party's failure to reject British and Irish Government proposals for the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.

One of the issues they highlighted was the involvement of an Irish Government nominee on the monitoring Commission, arguing if he were to determine if a party had breached the Good Friday Agreement it would enable Dublin to have a say in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland. Mr Trimble and his supporters were satisfied, however, that the draft agreement from London and Dublin had shown those concerns were unfounded.

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