Senior DUP pair highlight points for agreement

IN THE aftermath of the agreement at Hillsborough Castle two senior DUP Upper Bann representatives made a joint statement.

Widespread discontent has been reported within the DUP over the agreement.

Stephen Moutray and David Simpson were thought to have been two of 14 members of the party who voiced their dissent a matter of days before the agreement was reached.

Opposing politicians have since claimed some DUP figures were snowmen, alleging they melted when the heat was turned up.

In a joint statement David Simpson and Stephen Moutray said: “The DUP has been in favour of devolving policing and justice subject to there being sufficient community confidence for it.

"We have been pressing on a number of issues to ensure that the necessary public confidence emerges which would allow it to proceed. As part of that our party negotiated better financial package when others urged us to end negotiations and to proceed to devolve these powers. We ignored those calls and obtained a proper level of financial support for the devolving of these powers.”

It continued: "The DUP has now also secured other important matters such as; ensuring there will be no Sinn Fein Minister for Justice – either now or after 2012, no Sinn Fein role in the appointment of Judges, no Irish Language Act and no new North-South bodies.

"We have also ensured a 20million package for the PSNI Part Time Reserve many of whom served during the worst of the troubles. We have made successful representations for many of those who have been trying to obtain personal protection weapons.”

“During the recent negotiations, as the gap between the parties narrowed in the final days we were absolutely insistent that it had to close."

The statement concluded: "One of the long running issues has been a campaign of protests against parades.

"Sinn Fein continuously refused to align themselves with the twin track strategy which we outlined; namely that parading must be resolved as well as policing and justice.

"SF were reluctant to commit to guarantees on one side while demanding them on the other.

“Sinn Fein’s walking out of the talks on the final week has meant that the DUP, keen to secure all of the matters we had negotiated with the Government, took action to ensure that our twin track strategy delivers.

"Both at the outset of the Assembly process on parading and policing and justice, and then throughout the process a decision rests with the DUP and over which SF have no control, that ensures the direct linkage of the two matters.

“This will ensure that for one issue to conclude the other must do likewise.”

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