Burke and Mowlam to meet on Drumcree aftermath

THE Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Burke, and the Minister of State, Ms Liz O'Donnell, will have talks on the aftermath of Drumcree…

THE Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Burke, and the Minister of State, Ms Liz O'Donnell, will have talks on the aftermath of Drumcree with the Northern Ireland Secretary in Belfast today.

Violence continued in the North and a man's body was discovered at Dunmurry, between Belfast and Lisburn. It was believed he died in an explosion. Dr Mo Mowlam said in a statement: "Northern Ireland has seen too much tragedy."

The Sinn Fein MP for Mid-Ulster, Mr Martin McGuinness, accused the British government of imposing an "oppressive regime" on a mainly nationalist village in his constituency.

Speaking from Bellaghy, Co Derry, he condemned the RUC for confining nationalists to their housing estates last night so that loyalist bands could parade to the local Orange hail. Mr McGuinness said he had been struck on the head by a police baton.

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The Drumcree aftermath will also be raised in a separate meeting at Stormont between Dr Mowlam and an SDLP delegation led by Mr John Hume. The SDLP will express its "serious discontent" over the handling of the parade.

The Stormont multi-party talks resume this afternoon. Senior Ulster Unionist Party sources were unhappy because the SDLP insisted on having a plenary session today. The decommissioning paper issued by the Irish arid British governments is down for discussion and UUP sources felt the atmosphere leading up to July 12th Orange celebrations was not appropriate for such a debate.

But an unapologetic SDLP spokesman said the talks process should take precedence over every other form of political expression. "It would have been very regrettable indeed if the talks were also a victim of the type of street politics which is predominating at the moment."

It is expected the talks chairman, Mr George Mitchell, will not call a vote on the paper this afternoon. UUP sources said the party would reject the document rather than be embarrassed on speakers' platforms on the 12th.

Dr Mowlam held discussions on the marching season last night with leading members of the Orange Order. The Northern Secretary has embarked on a new round of talks with Orangemen and residents' groups.

Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith of the Garvaghy Residents' Coalition said she should resign: "We will not be meeting her, we have been betrayed."

In London, the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, said: "We are not going to give up in the search for peace or a lasting settlement because the vast majority of people, whether they are Protestant or Catholic, want that peace."

Nationalist sources in the peace process said they had been hopeful of a renewed IRA ceasefire but the weekend's events constituted a serious setback.

A prominent Belfast republican, Mr Gerry Kelly, categorically denied a newspaper report that he had said there would be "no IRA ceasefire" because of the police-army operation on the Garvaghy Road and that "these soldiers will have to pay for a start".

In a statement issued through the Sinn Fein press office, Mr Kelly said: "The comments attributed to me are false."

There were indications from other sources that opposition within the republican movement to a renewed ceasefire had hardened after Drumcree. The attitude of the authorities to next Saturday's Orange march on Belfast's Ormeau Road will also influence republican thinking.

Last night's meeting of Newry and Mourne District Council was adjourned in protest at the decision to allow the Orange parade on Garvaghy Road.