30 October 2000

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Sinn Fein Ministers call for emergency meeting of the Executive

Sinn Fein Ministers Martin McGuinness and Bairbre de Brun have written to the First Minister and Deputy First Minister to call for an emergency meeting of the Executive following Saturday's motion by the Ulster Unionist Council.

Mr. McGuinness said:

``Sinn Fein are deeply concerned at the path David Trimble has chosen to pursue.  Mr. Trimble has not stood up in defence of the Good Friday Agreement, instead he has adopted an approach that is in clear breach of the spirit and letter of the Agreement.

``Sinn Fein's right to representation on the institutions and the executive comes from our significant electoral mandate.  It is not for David Trimble or any other Unionist leader to set limits on the rights and entitlements of nationalists and republicans.  There can be no Unionist veto.

``The responsibility for this situation lies with both Mr. Trimble and the British government.  The implementation of the Agreement, on key issues such as policing, flags and demilitarisation, on terms acceptable to unionists has encouraged the UUP leader to believe he is more important than the Agreement.  It is time for the British government to take up the challenge of the Good Friday Agreement and along with the Irish government, as joint sponsors, to defend the integrity of the Agreement.''

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