DUP plus Sinn Fein can't work, won't work, says Alliance

12.00.00am GMT Wed 17th Dec 2003

An Alliance delegation today met the Prime Minister and the Taoiseach in Downing Street to discuss the situation in the peace process and the priorities for the Review. The delegation consisted of Alliance Party Leader, David Ford; Chief Whip, Kieran McCarthy; South Belfast MLA, Naomi Long; and Party General Secretary, Stephen Farry.

Speaking after the meeting, David Ford said:

"Our message today to the Governments was quite simple. The DUP plus Sinn Fein can't work, and won't work.

"Alliance emphasised that the Review process must be both focused and inclusive. While there is an onus and responsibility on both the DUP and Sinn Fein to seek an accommodation, it is clear that a concentration purely on the two extremes is not going to be a recipe for a constructive way forward.

"We outlined to the Governments our initial thoughts as to how devolution could be restored, and a stable executive formed. Clearly, there is a growing consensus that the Assembly voting system, based around communal designations, is now bankrupt. Structures must be developed that are capable of overcoming the deep divisions in this society, rather than reinforcing them."