English/Nat The Northern Ireland peace process is in disarray, facing its biggest set-back since the signing of the Good Friday Agreement more than a year ago. On Thursday, Ulster Unionist Party leader David Trimble refused to proceed with the nomination of ministers for a power-sharing executive at a session of the Northern Ireland Assembly, as agreed in the peace deal. Moderate Catholic politician Seamus Mallon responded immediately by announcing his resignation as Northern Ireland's deputy First Minister. Mallon also called for the resignation of the Trimble, throwing the Good Friday agreement - and the entire peace deal - into crisis. Once again the prospects for peace in Northern Ireland seem distant. On Thursday, the Ulster Unionist Party refused to put forward nominations for ministers in a Northern Ireland power-sharing executive, dashing hopes of a last minute solution to the crisis in the peace process. British Prime Minister Tony Blair had set Thursday as a deadline for the Northern Ireland Assembly to decide on ministerial posts. But Trimble said that his party has decided against proceeding with nominations for a power-sharing executive. SOUNDBITE: (English) "We have decided it is premature to form a shadow cabinet, that it is premature for the D'Hondt formula (which gives the four largest parties in the province's Assembly their choice of ministries) to be applied in the Assembly today. Therefore, I will not be making any appointments today, in the ministerial office in the Assembly under that formula. We will not be not be nominating. " SUPER CAPTION: David Trimble, Ulster Unionist Party leader Trimble and his team refuse to nominate ministers because of the Irish Republican Army's (IRA) refusal to hand over its weapons. They say they cannot share government with members of Sinn Fein, the political wing of the I-R-A, while the organisation still holds has its guns. The move follows the U-U-P's rejection of the terms of the British government's Northern Ireland Bill. Earlier on Thursday, arriving at Stormont for the session, senior party members left a small window of opportunity open . SOUNDBITE: (English) "David Trimble will leave his decision to the last minute for the simple reason that we want to go ahead. We want the circumstances to be such that we can go ahead. And so he will not rule out the opportunity of either or both prime ministers or importantly at this time the leadership of Sinn Fein producing that guarantee that guns and explosives of an illegal nature will be taken out of the equation. If that happens, then we can change our position in an instant." SUPER CAPTION: Ken Maginnis, Security Spokesman, Ulster Unionist Party But despite Maginnis' statement, the U-U-P announced their boycott of the meeting just minutes before it was due to start. Catholic republicans and nationalists are furious at the refusal of the Unionists to back a deal. Sinn Fein, the political wing of the I-R-A, called on British Prime Minister Tony Blair to dismiss Trimble as Northern Ireland's First Minister-designate. SOUNDBITE: (English) "I think we can all see the reality of the difficulties that have confronted us in attempting to develop this situation. And we're saying to Mr Blair, if we have a situation where the Unionist Party leadership are unable or unprepared to enter into the power-sharing coalition that has been designed and agreed by all the parties, and voted on by the people of this island, then Tony Blair must act. And he must exercise the options that both governments retain. And he should dismiss David Trimble, if David Trimble doesn't have the decency to resign." SUPER CAPTION: Mitchell McLaughlin, Sinn Fein Spokesman You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/d63c9dd2da0dacbb1c00b0476a76c736 Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork

• published: 21 Jul 2015
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