Northern Ireland Office

Time is running out for parties connected with paramilitary organisations to decide if they want to be part of the democratic process or not, Prime Minister Tony Blair has said.

Speaking today in the House of Commons the Prime Minister said that there can no longer be a process of transition in Northern Ireland and the position where some political parties are allied to paramilitary groups has to stop.

He said: “People must decide if they are either part of the democratic process or not. The moment of decision has actually long since passed and it’s simply got to be clear whether people have made their decision or not.

“If it proves impossible to go forward on that inclusive basis we will have to look for another way forward.

“I know people criticise that fact that I’m meeting the leader of Sinn Fein but I think it’s important that message is delivered and delivered in a very, very straight forward way.”

The Prime Minister also rejected a claim that the Government is negotiating a financial package with the UDA to stop their criminality, stating that ‘there isn’t such a negotiation.’