THE Ulster Unionist leader, Mr David Trimble, will meet Mr John Hume in the next few days in an attempt to resolve confusion over a proposed Orange Order meeting with the Garvaghy Road Residents Coalition.
Mr Hume said last weekend he would convene a meeting between the Orange Grand Master, Mr Robert Saulters, and the nationalist group in an attempt to prevent another Drumcree stand-off. However, Mr Saulters later said there had been a
"misunderstanding" and he would not meet anyone with republican connections. The chairman of the residents coalition, Mr Breandan Mac Cionnaith, has served four years imprisonment for paramilitary offences.
The SDLP leader yesterday said he was puzzled by conflicting accounts of his contact with Mr Saulters and again insisted he had cleared his statement with him. Mr Saulters, who is refusing media interviews, is under increasing pressure from hardliners as disquiet about possible negotiations with the residents' coalition grows. Sources have said it is vital Mr Trimble sorts out the matter if Mr Saulters is to remain in office.
Mr Hume welcomed his meeting with the UUP leader. "It is clear that the vast majority of people of the North of Ireland do not want a repeat of last year's events. People want real dialogue to solve this major problem," he said. Mr Trimble yesterday said he would be keeping the details of the meeting private.
The UUP security spokesman, Mr Ken Maginnis, criticised Mr Hume who he said had tried to "deliberately embarrass" the Grand Master. The DUP's security spokesman, Mr Gregory Campbell, also accused him of using the issue for electioneering purposes. The militant Spirit of Drumcree group has been calling for Mr Saulters's resignation for months but mainstream members are also expressing concern.