THE Ulster Unionist Party has ruled out a "fourth strand" of talks to handle the decommissioning issue and is opposed to giving former US Senator George Mitchell any role in the political negotiations starting on June 10th.
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, yesterday indicated that he would like to see Senator Mitchell's expertise on decommissioning used to effect an actual hand over or disposal of weapons. But he does not favour making him chairman of any strand of the all party talks.
Mr Trimble said, as the party launched its "Campaign Battlebus" at its headquarters in Belfast: "While Senator Mitchell had, and may have, a very useful role to play on the issue of decommissioning, I don't think it would be the best way to proceed to take up the suggestions that have been made of giving him a role on Strands Two and Three."
Asked about his attitude to the suggestion of the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, that a separate layer of negotiation might deal with the decommissioning issue, Mr Trimble said: "We can only proceed in these talks by way of agreement, and that rules out Mr Spring's proposal.
The UUP leader said that a number of key problems concerning the opening session of all party negotiations remained unresolved, in spite of his recent meetings with the British Prime Minister, Mr Major.
These problems concerned the determination of the participants' commitment to the Mitchell Principles, the specific agenda for the session, and the procedures to be adopted in the talks. He could foresee difficulties on all three areas, he said.
"On Mitchell, we expect a total and absolute commitment - a commitment which will have to be honoured, and we need to be assured that that is the case," he said. "And there can be no question of parking the Mitchell issues in the way that Mr Spring has suggested."
Mr Trimble openly disparaged the relevance of remarks earlier, this week by the Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, that the negotiations would have an open agenda, with nothing preordained, nothing ruled out or ruled in.
"I'm not quite sure exactly what Paddy Mayhew said, and I wouldn't attach any significance to a statement by Paddy Mayhew in any event", the UUP leader commented. "He does not determine policy. And the fact that he may have said something that gives rise to a particular interpretation is not something that anyone should attach any significance to whatsoever."
Earlier yesterday, Mr Trimble issued a statement formally denying that he had agreed to the appointment of Senator Mitchell to play a key role in the talks process.