Alliance meet US Envoy and Secretary of State

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Tue 14th Oct 2003

Alliance Party Delegations today had meetings with US Envoy, Richard Haass, and Secretary of State Paul Murphy to discuss developments to restore trust and confidence in the peace process.

Speaking after the meetings, Alliance Party Deputy Leader, Eileen Bell described the meetings as "productive":

Mrs Bell: "While there seems to be a growing commitment from the British Government to holding elections sometime this autumn, Alliance is concerned that the negotiations are focused around just two political parties. There are genuine concerns regarding the inclusivity and transparency of the process.

"Exchanges between the UUP and Sinn Fein should be tightly limited to overcoming the particular problems of trust and confidence that exist between them.

"It should not be taken for granted that all parties will necessarily accept the outcome of any negotiations. For example, Alliance is concerned to ensure that there will finally be an end to all paramilitary activities, including shootings, beatings, and exiling.

"They may be sitting at the same table, but there is no reason to believe that any deal cooked up between the UUP and Sinn Fein will be palatable to anyone else."