THE Ulster Unionist Party leader, Mr David Trimble, reacted sharply yesterday to criticism of his failure to meet the Tanaiste. He declared bluntly that the Government had no right to have an input into the question of whether there should be elections in Northern Ireland.
However, Mr Trimble said he had indicated a willingness to meet Mr Spring towards the end of this month in London.
In a telephone interview with RTE from London, Mr Trimble asserted he was quite right to be cautious about talks with Mr Spring. He said: "There is a very important constitutional principle at stake, namely that we are not going to get involved in negotiations with the Irish Government, which to us is a foreign government, with regard to the internal affairs of Northern Ireland."
He claimed that Mr Spring was aware of that position and had acknowledged it in a recent letter. "As the elected body, as the peace convention that we have in mind will be elected within Northern Ireland, it is not altogether appropriate for me to be discussing matters with him."
Mr Trimble said he was "appalled" to see in The Irish Times that officials of the Department of Foreign Affairs had given an interview in most abusive terms, simply because we hadn't immediately jumped to their order".
That had not been a very diplomatic way to proceed, he said, adding: "I'm not someone to be ordered around by the people in Iveagh House and I do think it's about time that they treated the people of Northern Ireland as a whole, and their elected representatives, with the sort of parity of esteem that they claim for others."
Mr Trimble said he was not aware of what Mr Spring wished to discuss. When it was put to him that the Tanaiste may have wished to hear his arguments in favour of an elected body, Mr Trimble commented: "Mr Spring doesn't have to be persuaded about an elected body. It's not his concern as to what happens within Northern Ireland."
However, he said, unionists were prepared to engage in discussions "about all relevant issues". They considered that the way the three stranded process had been defined was not particularly helpful.
"We would much prefer a more all embracing, more holistic approach that actually engaged on everything, because the three strands are defined in such a way as to exclude certain very important aspects of the situation" Mr Trimble said.
He also repeated that the question of decommissioning arms should be at the top of the agenda for an elected body, "and we would expect decommissioning to run alongside an elected body, in the way Senator Mitchell says".
He said the November joint communique had merely set a target date for all party talks and the achievement of that target was dependent on prior decommissioning.
Mr Trimble voiced similar sentiments in an interview on BBC Radio. He asserted that he had not told Mr Spring to "get lost". He added: "To put words into my mouth which I haven't used is certainly undiplomatic and indicates a rather strange state of mind in the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs. And while they evince such a strange state of mind, all the more reason for me to be cautious in my response.
Mr Trimble said: "There is obviously an argument going on between Dublin and London. There may be any number of arguments going on within Dublin of which I am not fully apprised.
Mr Spring wants to do something in a hurry, not having wanted to do anything at earlier stages. And, apart from protecting the constitutional principle in Northern Ireland, I also have to make sure that I'm not used as ammunition in someone else's fight."
The deputy leader of the UUP, Mr John Taylor, also re entered the fray with a statement yesterday attacking Dublin politicians.
He said they were "experiencing an educational process which has come as a shock to their previous beliefs that they were to have a role in the internal affairs of Northern Ireland".
However, the Alliance Party's general secretary, Mr David Ford, last night called for unionist politicians to recognise the need for meaningful talks.