The Ulster Unionist Party's executive committee is expected to choose the "proximity talks" option when it meets on Saturday to discuss strategy for the Stormont negotiations. The UUP stayed away from yesterday's talks session, at which Sinn Fein committed itself to the Mitchell Principles of democracy and non-violence. However, UUP representatives are expected to return to Stormont on Monday, when substantive negotiations are due to start. Senior UUP sources said that the party was likely to enter Castle Buildings at Stormont, but not attend plenary sessions because of the presence of Sinn Fein.
The UUP leadership has been meeting this week to prepare for Saturday's executive committee debate. Although party sources did not rule out the possibility of a decision to recommend a complete boycott of the talks, the proximity option is expected to find most favour. However, the proximity strategy is likely to be "time-limited", with party leaders mandated to report back to the executive within a period of weeks.
When asked for his attitude to proximity talks, the chairman of the negotiations, Senator George Mitchell, said yesterday that the important thing was that there should be "progress". He felt that the precise method of proceeding was less important. The Irish Times has learned that opinion polls conducted recently in Northern Ireland by media organisations show opinion in the Protestant and mainly unionist community to be equally divided on the issue of face-to-face talks with Sinn Fein.
It is understood that, in one of the surveys, a united Ireland receives only 19 per cent support from respondents drawn from the broad population of the North. Power-sharing with cross-Border institutions gets the backing of 20 per cent, but power-sharing without such bodies receives 24 per cent support, compared with 16 per cent for integration with Britain and 11 per cent for Stormonttype majority rule. Only three per cent of Protestants believe that there will be a united Ireland 25 years hence; 70 per cent expect the North to remain part of the United Kingdom. Fifty per cent of respondents said that the one option they could not tolerate was a united Ireland. ein 15 per cent; Alliance 11 per cent. The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning is expected to be announced when the talks resume on Monday. Political sources predicted that there would be three members: a Finn, a Canadian and a person from the United States.
The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, described yesterday's talks session as a "watershed". He urged the unionists to come to the table: "They should be with all of us, working out the future all our people deserve."
However, Mr Sammy Wilson, of the Democratic Unionist Party, commented: "Anyone who believes that Sinn Fein renounced violence today is either engaging in wishful thinking or blatant selfdelusion," he said in a statement.
The SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, pointed out that unionists sat down with Sinn Fein on the district councils and asked why they could not do so at Stormont. He urged unionists to leave the past behind "and look to the future which both sections of the people will build together".
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, said that there were unprecedented prospects of genuinely inclusive negotiations in a totally peaceful atmosphere. "I hope that the historic opportunity to play a part in the definition of a lasting accommodation will be seized by the representatives of the unionist tradition," he said. ein when the time is right and that will not be for the foreseeable future", he said. The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, is expected to meet the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, in London today. Mr Blair said yesterday that his government would hold Sinn Fein to its commitment to the Mitchell Principles with "total determination".
See also page 7