Trimble and Durkan to bring all parties together to end violence

The North's First Minister and Deputy First Minister are bringing together all the political parties in an attempt to end sectarian…

The North's First Minister and Deputy First Minister are bringing together all the political parties in an attempt to end sectarian violence.

The meetings, organised by Mr David Trimble and Mr Mark Durkan, will take place in the next few weeks.

Mr Durkan announced the initiative in the Assembly as he condemned the recent street violence in Belfast.

"We intend to convene meetings of the political parties and social partners including the churches and community organisations.

READ MORE

"These meetings will discuss the specific actions that should be taken to improve our community relations," he said. Mr Durkan said sectarianism was destroying Northern Ireland's image and damaging the economy.

"Such anti-social behaviour is harmful not only to the well-being of local communities but also to Northern Ireland as a whole.

"It destroys the local environment, ruins businesses and presents a very unattractive picture to the world." Mr Durkan said the North's Executive would support any local community initiatives aimed at easing tension. He called on all political parties to support the police in maintaining law and order. He condemned the paramilitaries for raising tensions.

"We all have reason to believe that different paramilitary organisations have been active in different ways and at different levels in much of the violence. I am in no doubt that in many instances the sole aggressor is loyalist paramilitaries, in other instances they are the primary aggressor and in other instances in areas there are loyalists and republicans actively involved in fomenting and continuing this violence."

Meanwhile, new legislation aimed at reducing the bitterness of divorce cases was introduced in the Assembly yesterday. The Family Law (Divorce etc) Bill aims to reduce the incentive to obtain a "quickie" divorce by lowering the requirement for separation from five to three years.

It will also give courts the power to adjourn cases for mediation to enable couples to agree on issues such as care of children. Ulster Unionist Assembly member the Rev Robert Coulter has called for the introduction of a new pay formula for fire-fighters.

Speaking during a debate on the issue, Mr Coulter said their wages must reflect their highly skilled and professional role. "The fire-fighters have the public's support," he said.

"In a recent poll it was shown that 82 per cent of all voters believe ordinary fire-fighters should be paid in excess of £25,000 a year - that is as opposed to the existent maximum of only £20,694 after 15 years service.

"The same poll showed that 47 per cent of all voters support a national fire service strike over pay. It is a shame that brave people have been reduced to strike action."