Crunch time for talks as Unionists take fright

Northern Ireland's multi-party talks moved closer to a crunch point yesterday as the three main Unionist parties staged a walkout on the crucial issue of arms decommissioning.

Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble has asked for a meeting with the Prime Minister, Tony Blair, saying that the talks process was in serious difficulty. This is expected to take place in advance of next Wednesday's vote on the weapons issue. The Unionist parties fear that the joint position of the British and Irish governments, as set out by Mr Blair some weeks ago and amplified yesterday in a 12-page document, could allow Sinn Fein into talks without a guarantee that the IRA would decommission any guns.

Both Dublin and London appear to have arrived at a position, after years when the peace process remained effectively impaled on the arms issue, that it is unrealistic to expect the handing over of republican or loyalist materiel in the short term.

This is causing major problems for the Unionist parties who have elevated decommissioning to central status in the talks process. The two governments have conspicuously refrained from laying down timetables for arms handovers despite Unionist pressure.

The position of the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party is clear enough in that he has effectively ruled out ever sitting round the table with Sinn Fein. But Mr Trimble's position is not so clear cut, and both governments are anxious to keep his party on board.