Robinson and Donaldson indicate different stance to that adopted by Paisley on dealings with Sinn Fein
Gerry Moriarty,
Northern Editor
Mr Martin McGuinness has claimed that there are differences of approach into how the DUP would deal with Sinn Féin between party leader, the Rev Ian Paisley and new recruit Mr Jeffrey Donaldson.
Mr McGuinness also suggested that if the DUP played a "constructive" role in the forthcoming review of the Belfast Agreement political progress could be achieved even though the DUP will not speak directly to Sinn Féin.
Sinn Féin's chief negotiator Mr McGuinness questioned at the weekend whether the DUP was serious when last week Dr Paisley said that the DUP would not be talking about "the possibility of getting IRA/Sinn Féin back into the government of Northern Ireland".
Privately some DUP members have said that they will not deal with Sinn Féin while the IRA retains weapons and continues to engage in paramilitary activity, but that if there were decommissioning and an end to activity that the political situation would change.
And while Dr Paisley seemed to rule out the DUP ever dealing with Sinn Féin, the Lagan Valley MP Mr Donaldson on RTÉ's Tonight With Vincent Browne programme last week indicated that with transparent decommissioning and a cessation of activity the DUP could come to some political accommodation with Sinn Féin.
Deputy leader Mr Peter Robinson appeared to make a similar point at the weekend.
Mr McGuinness said he listened to Mr Donaldson on the RTÉ programme and noted differences between him and his new leader Dr Paisley. "I did detect differences between them," he told BBC Radio Ulster's Inside Politics programme.
He added that while there would not be direct engagement in the review, Sinn Féin and the DUP would know each other's position. "Both of them (Dr Paisley and Mr Donaldson) are around long enough to know that in the context of any ongoing discussions or the review itself that they are going to be speaking to the two governments, and the two governments are going to be speaking to Sinn Féin, and they are going to be involved in a form of dialogue with us," said Mr McGuinness.
"They know there is little prospect of them achieving anything whatsoever within this review unless they engage in some form of constructive engagement with (Sinn Féin)," he added. "There will be an examination and exploration of the DUP's position over the course of the coming period." But speaking after a Sinn Féin ard chomhairle meeting in Dublin at the weekend he warned that Sinn Féin would not tolerate any DUP attempt to "wreck" the agreement.
"We will not under any circumstances allow that to happen and the DUP needs to take account of that," added Mr McGuinness.
The DUP deputy leader Mr Peter Robinson said that in the last Assembly the DUP fulfilled its obligation to oppose the "republican agenda".
But he too indicated that if the IRA met what he called the "Blair necessities" - Mr Tony Blair's call for IRA "acts of completion" - then progress was possible.
"They are the ones who are different, and they can change that difference. They are not being excluded by unionists, they are not being excluded by the British government, they are excluding themselves."
Mr Robinson said the DUP was not in the business of bartering with Sinn Féin for movement on IRA weapons or good republican behaviour. "That is their problem. They are going to have to sort it out. And when they have sorted it out then they can come and say, 'we are just like any other political party, and we stand by our mandate, and our mandate alone'. Until that day they cannot expect any other democratic parties ... to be saying, 'we are going to give you something in order that you behave yourself and act as a democratic party'."